


These Colours Don't Run

by EpsilonBeta



Category: Saints Row
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2015-08-26
Packaged: 2018-04-16 20:18:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4638807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EpsilonBeta/pseuds/EpsilonBeta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A retelling of Saints Row for the Saints Row Big Bang. Unfortunately my assigned artist dropped out, so here's a playlist I made. http://8tracks.com/epsil0nb3ta/these-colours-don-t-run</p><p>"Go home, get to know her Dad again, get a job, stay out of trouble, maybe even go back to college. That was the plan. Getting caught up in a gang war and falling in love? That really wasn't covered. Stilwater is one hell of a place to live."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome To The Row

She was beginning to realise how far down in her memory she'd buried her childhood. Eve Trahan was only 19 now, just 8 years older than when she was here last, but the memories she had of this place seemed as if they belonged to another person entirely. As she walked through the streets of Stilwater, she was flooded with a strange sense of nostalgia for places she barely remembered. 

She pulled her leather jacket a little tighter around herself against the chill of the winter evening, cursing the fact the coat never seemed to want to zip up past her bust. She was a curvy girl, so seemed to run a constant line between clothes that covered her bust but made her look about 3 sizes larger than she actually was, or something that fit her waist and had to sit open at the chest. She also wished she'd had the foresight to wear a hat. The high nape undercut on the graduated bob she currently sported was fantastic for keeping cool in the California heat, but in Stilwater's winter, it was fucking freezing. She'd have to grow it out. Blowing a lock of pink hair out of her face, she passed a guy trying to sell knock-off watches, then a prostitute who tried to flirt with her, and walked right into a gang dispute. 

A group of men dressed in yellow were busy covering up graffiti with their own tags. When a few guys in blue approached them, one armed with a baseball bat, it took only a few seconds before the trash-talking devolved into violence. But before Eve could make the decision to pull out her cellphone and call the cops, or run in the opposite direction of whatever shit was about to go down, a red car pulled up and its passengers opened fire on the rival factions. They responded by drawing their weapons and returning fire, one of them managing to shoot the driver, and sending the vehicle careening in her direction. She managed to jump out of the way at the last moment, but landed hard on her right hip.

She was still writhing in pain on the floor when one of the blues came over and emptied a clip into the remaining passenger from the red car. Unfortunately for him, in his enthusiasm to finish the last of the reds off, the last of the guys in yellow managed to sneak up behind him and shoot him at point-blank range in the back of the head. The guy turned to her, then, and as he stood over her, his pistol pointed at her face, said “Wrong time, wrong place, bitch.”  
  
Eve closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. She heard a gunshot, but felt nothing. Confused, she cracked open one eye to see a tall, dark-skinned man standing over her, an arm extended in an offer to help her up.  
  
“You okay, Playa?” he asked as he hauled her to her feet.  
  
Eve nodded weakly in response, trying to find her balance on legs that felt like gelatin.  
  
The skinny white guy who stood a few meters away seemed keen to get away from the scene of so much violence as he said, “Julius, let's move.”  
  
The guy she assumed was called Julius pulled her arm around his shoulders and helped her limp across the street. The red car exploded behind them, and the force of it pushed them all forward a step further than she'd been anticipating. Julius held her tight around the waist to keep her upright. When they made it to the other pavement, he gently lowered her to the ground.  
  
“That don't look so bad, you should be fine.” he muttered, before gesturing to the man next to him. “That's Troy. You can thank him later.”  
  
“Hey.” said Troy.  
  
“The row ain't safe no more,” Julius began, “We got gangs fighting over shit that ain't theirs. And you in the way? They don't care if you're representing or not.”  
  
“Julius, this is no time to recruit.” Troy interjected.  
  
“We need all the help we can get, son.”  
  
“No, we need to get our asses out of here.”  
  
“In a minute.” said Julius, before turning back to Eve. “Look, the Row's got a problem. Come by the church if you wanna be part of the solution.”  
  
Eve nodded again, and Julius patted her lightly on the shoulder before turning and walking away, Troy in tow.

 


	2. Who's That Girl?

Bacon sandwiches always reminded Eve of her dad. Before he started drinking, they'd spend every Sunday morning together making breakfast while her mom slept late. She'd spent most of the night cleaning his shitty one-bed Shivington apartment so it was at least tolerable to live in, and had worked up an appetite. Bacon sandwiches definitely had to happen.  
  
Since her hip wasn't feeling too bad, she decided to take a detour via the church as she made her way to the store. When she arrived, she found Julius and Troy outside with a group, all dressed in purple, that she assumed were the Saints. She watched as Julius delivered an inspiring speech about taking back the Row. The crowd seemed to respond to him well, cheering and shouting. A Korean guy, probably in his early twenties, with silver frosted tips on his spiky black hair, took note of her and questioned her presence.

“Who the fuck's this girl?” he asked.  
  
“Troy and I found her, figured we'd see if she'd ride with us.”  
  
“Julius, she wants to run with the Saints, she's gotta be canonized.”  
  
Troy agreed. “Hey, he's right, Julius, everyone had to do it.”  
  
Julius thought to himself for a moment, before nodding in agreement.

It turned out she was less adept at avoiding hits than she was at getting back up after she'd taken one. She was pretty sure her nose was broken, wouldn't be shocked if she had a cracked rib or two, and she could feel the bruising begin to form across most of her body, but she'd finally taken down all of the Saints that felt like challenging her. She noted, curiously, that this didn't include the fucker with the ridiculous hair who'd demanded that she be canonized.  
  
Troy approached her after the fight, and congratulated her on 'earning her colours'. He got her settled on the church steps, and left her there for a moment, disappearing inside to grab a first-aid kit. A guy with short locs and a purple visor wandered over and sat on the steps beside her, followed by the guy with the frosted tips and attitude problem.  
  
“That's some impressive shit. The only other Saint who kicked ass like that was Johnny.” said the guy with the visor, gesturing to Frosted Tips.  
  
“Shit took me half the time.” Johnny bragged, but followed it up with a wink in her direction, taking some of the sting out of his words.  
  
Troy made his way back out of the church, Julius not far behind, and sat in front of Eve, taking her chin in one hand and gently tilting her head from one side to the other so he could survey the damage. He grabbed a damp cloth and wiped the worst of the blood from her face first, then dabbed at a cut above her eye and her busted lip with disinfectant. That stung like hell, but she tried not to show it. Still, she couldn't help taking in air a bit more sharply than usual whenever he made contact with an open wound. When he was done with her face, he moved to her hands, cleaning them up and slathering the grazes across her knuckles with antibacterial cream.  
  
While Troy was tending to her wounds, Julius congratulated her on becoming a member of the Saints. There was certainly a weird sense of kinship, a bond between the gang's members that ran deeper than simply the colours they wore, she mused, as Julius began some spiel about gaining respect and reclaiming territory. He wanted her to come with him to take out some lieutenants from the other gangs. The idea was exciting, she had to admit. But first, breakfast.

***

After overhearing Eve declare her desire for breakfast, Johnny demanded that they go to Freckle Bitch's. Troy agreed, apparently. _So much for bacon sandwiches_ , she thought, unbuckling her seat belt and trudging into the harsh fluorescent lighting of the restaurant. They stepped up to the counter and a blonde with big, ridiculous freckles painted on her cheeks and an equally obnoxious grin took their order. Eve barely suppressed a giggle when Johnny ordered 'The Fist'. She found great amusement in the suggestive naming of the menu, but didn't think that she knew the two guys well enough for that degree of innuendo.  
  
Johnny obviously didn't feel that distance, as when Eve requested a Big Swallow with her Chicken Bazooms, he raised an eyebrow suggestively, and asked “Do you enjoy a Big Swallow often, then, Newbie?”  
  
Troy elbowed Johnny in the ribs hard when he noticed Eve blush beet red, and told him go find a table outside.  
  
Eve wandered up to them, the tray she was carrying piled high with food, just in time to hear Troy give Johnny a stern talking to. 

“That was a dick move and you know it, Gat. She's new, she doesn't fuckin' know that you're joking.”  
  
“A'ight, Troy, you've made your point. But she's a big girl and I'm sure she can handle a little bit of teasing. Ain't that right, Evie?”  
  
“I'll get used to it,” she replied, setting the tray down on the table and distributing the food. “But thanks, Troy. You're a gem. Too good for this world.”  
  
“So, Johnny, how's your grandma doing? Last I heard she was in the hospital for something or other. She get out okay?” Troy asked.  
  
“Old bat broke out of the hospital. No-one could find her for a day and a half.” Johnny replied.  
  
“What? You don't seem too concerned about the fact your grandma broke out of a hospital and went missing. What is she, ninety?”  
  
Johnny shrugged. “Eh, she's old and it's about time she died.”  
  
“You're a fucking awful person.” Eve interjected.  
  
Johnny shrugged again, taking a bite out of the burger.  
  
“He's just being flippant because he actually cares about his grandma.” said Troy, before turning to Johnny and shaking his head. “Stop being such a dick.”  
  
“Nah.” Johnny retorted with a grin. “Not my style."  
  
“So what brings you to Stilwater, Eve? I've not seen you hanging around the Row.”  
  
“Mom moved in with her boyfriend in California, and we don't really get on so well. My dad lives in Shivington, so I was supposed to be staying with him for a while until I could sort out a job and my own place. He's got a serious drinking problem, though, so I'm sticking around there until I can convince him to try rehab.”  
  
“Noble of you.” Troy said, while Johnny remained silent.  
  
Eve waved off the comment. “It is what it is.”

Towards the end of their meal, Troy got a call from Julius, mentioning a Los Carnales hideout in an old liquor store and giving the order to raid the place.  
  
“Wanna tag along?” he asked the two of them.  
  
“Sure,” Eve said, grabbing the wrappers and piling them onto the tray. “Just let me shove this lot in the trash, then I'll be with you.”


	3. If It Isn't Her

Was it a knock that had woken her? Eve rolled off the couch and pulled on a shirt as she made her way to the door, not bothering to find her jeans. It was probably only her dad anyway, getting home from the bar too drunk to find his keys. She looked through the peephole, out onto the dimly lit hallway, to see Johnny standing outside, talking on the phone. His forehead was creased in an annoyed frown, and he looked at the door over the top of his glasses.  
  
“I'll find her and bring her home, I promise.” his voice was slightly muffled, but he sounded _pissed_.  
  
Deciding anything that brought Johnny to her door must be serious, she swung it open and tried to look like he hadn't just woken her up.  
  
“Hey. What brings you here at,” Eve checked her watch as she gestured for him to come inside. “2am?”  
  
“Some fucker's kidnapped Aisha's sister.” he said.  
  
“That sucks.” she commented, as she headed into the kitchen and began making coffee for them both. “We gonna do something about it?”  
  
Johnny nodded. “You bet your ass.”  
  
“Alright. Let me throw clothes on, then you can hit me with the game plan.”  
  
Eve ducked into the bathroom briefly, after finding a pair of trousers and a clean polo shirt. When she reappeared, she'd combed her short chocolate-brown hair into something resembling a style and had dressed. She grabbed her boots from by the door and sat in the kitchen putting them on as Johnny ran her through the details.  
  
“The Vice Kings are behind this, I just fuckin' know it.” he began. “The gang's named after one guy – Benjamin King. That shit don't happen unless you're a professional or a badass, and in King's case, he's both. Got his fingers in a lot of fuckin' pies, y'know?  
  
Girls have been going missing for a while, and Amber's the sixth this month. Dex doesn't think it's King's style, but I don't think King has a fuckin' clue what's going on under his nose half the time. Aisha said they were driving a yellow sedan. I've already got some of our boys out looking for car. Once we find it, we're gonna rescue Amber and take her back to the church.”  
  
Eve pondered that for a moment, swirling her coffee around in the cup before taking a sip. “Right… So, who's Aisha? You seem pretty invested in helping her out.”  
  
“You don't know Aisha? 'Bounce Like My Checks'? 'Leave The Ho'?”  
  
“What, _the_ Aisha?” she asked incredulously.  
  
“Yup. We were kind of a thing.”  
  
“You're shitting me.”  
  
“Nope. She grew up here.” Johnny looked like he was about to say something, but his phone beeped and drew their attention. He picked it up and read the message. “Shit. They've found the car.”

Between the two of them, taking control of the warehouse was surprisingly easy. They rescued the girls and drove back to the church to find a remarkably attractive girl that Eve was fairly certain was Aisha waiting in the office. Her brown skin took on a golden hue in the artificial light of the office. If anything, she looked even prettier in real life than in the promotional photos Eve had seen. As descriptions went, beautiful didn't cover it. Goddamn. Johnny was a looker, but if anything Aisha was out of his league. Eve was a little star struck. She stood quietly in doorway while Johnny walked into the room and tried to keep her cool. She was not going to make an ass of herself by acting like some teenage fangirl. Thankfully, Aisha broke the moment by squaring up to Johnny.  
  
“What the hell took so long, Johnny?!” Aisha yelled.  
  
For a split second Eve didn't know how to react. The tension in the room was palpable. Eve admired Aisha's attitude, but Johnny didn't exactly deserve this. However, Johnny didn't seem phased.  
  
“You're welcome, Eesh.” he replied, pushing past her and taking the seat behind the desk.  
  
“I've been worried sick, you didn't even call to tell me what was happening!”  
  
“I was busy saving your sister!”  
  
“Could y'all maybe do this some other time?” Eve interrupted. “It's 5am, I haven't slept, and I'm currently covered in other people's blood.”

Johnny sighed and dragged a hand down his face. 'A'ight. Eesh, this is Eve, the Saints newest recruit. Eve, this is Aisha. Consider yourselves formally fuckin' introduced.”  
  
Aisha looked over at Eve and smiled. “Thanks for saving my sister.”  
  
“That's me, your dyke in shining armour.” she replied with a wink. “I should really be going, though, unless there's something else you needed, Johnny?”  
  
Johnny shook his head. “Nah, get your ass home. But come by the church tomorrow. I've got a plan to fuck over the Vice Kings big-time.”  
  
“A'ight, will do. See you in a few hours.” she said to Johnny, before turning to Aisha. “Nice to meet you, by the way.”  
  


_***_

As it turned out, Johnny's plan for screwing with the Vice Kings was killing Aisha. Well, faking her death. Pick up the car loaded with C4, drive Aisha to the studio, park in front, get Aisha in and out of the building before the bomb detonates. Simple enough, Eve figured.  
  
“So, does Johnny talk about me much?” Aisha asked, as they drove to the mechanic who was supposed to set up the car bomb.  
  
“I wouldn't really know,” she replied. “I'm fairly new to the Saints, and Johnny doesn't talk to me about much - other than weapons or killing people, of course.”  
  
Aisha seemed disappointed by that answer, and spent several minutes looking out of the window in silence.  
  
Eventually, Eve couldn't bear the quiet. “He was really pissed when your sister went missing, though. His grudge against the Vice Kings is more than just gang rivalry, trust me. I'd guess that's down to you, yeah?”  
  
“I suppose...” Aisha began, but trailed off before saying whatever it was she'd been considering.  
  
“Come on, out with it.”  
  
“Johnny's an asshole, but he means well. I've not always been fair on him.”  
  
“Maybe you should tell him that, instead of me?”  
  
Aisha laughed. “And inflate his head any more? He barely fits through doors as it is.”  
  
“True, true.” Eve conceded, as she pulled into the garage.

The mission _had_ seemed uncomplicated until one of Aisha's stalkers (apparently there was more than one) appeared in the rear view mirror. Eve wasn't a great driver at the best of times, and trying to escape an obsessive fan with a trunk full of volatile explosives didn't really help that situation.  
  
They spent the rest of the journey to the recording studio in near silence. Eve's knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel and kept the gas pedal to the floor. Aisha occasionally squeaked in fear when they swerved out of the way of oncoming traffic or took a corner on almost two wheels.  
  
Upon arriving at the studio, Eve parked the car out front and walked around the back of the building to retrieve their getaway vehicle while Aisha went inside to make sure she'd been registered as having arrived.  
  
It was a close call, and Aisha only just made it to the car by the time the bomb exploded around the front, taking out most of that side of the building. When she jumped in, she threw a pair of sunglasses on to obscure her face and they sped off back towards the church.  
  
“So,” Eve ventured after a minute or two, once they sirens of the emergency response teams were dying off, and the flashing lights could no longer be seen in the rear-view mirror. “How's it feel to be dead?”  
  
Aisha laughed nervously. “It's a relief.”  
  
“You sure? I imagine you'll miss a lot of that fame and fortune.” Eve replied, an eyebrow raised, although she kept her eyes on the road.  
  
“A gilded cage is still a cage, I guess.” she sighed.  
  
Eve shrugged. “I hear that. What're you gonna do now, then?”  
  
“I bought a house in the suburbs. Put it in my mom's name, so I'll probably be okay there for a while. I have a lot in savings, so I probably won't need to work for a while, either. I figure I'll spend some time around Stilwater. Maybe see if Johnny and I can give things another shot.”  
  
“Good. I'm glad. He's an asshole, but anyone can see he cares about you.”

When they eventually arrived at the church, Johnny was sitting in the office watching the news reports on TV. 

_“Reports are coming in thick and fast of an incident at Kingdom Come Records. There's no word from emergency services at the moment, but it looks as though pop star Aisha was inside the building at the time. One fan reports seeing her enter the studio before her car exploded, causing a great deal of damage to the front of the building. More to follow as the story progresses. This has been Jane Valderama for Channel 7 News.”_ said the anchor.  
  
Johnny looked up as they entered the room. “Nice work. I'm impressed.”  
  
“Yeah, well, you can thank me with beer.” Eve replied, parking her rear on the edge of the desk.  
  
“Now that I can do. How about tonight? A few drinks at mine to celebrate? What about you, Eesh? You in?”  
  
Aisha shook her head. “No, I think I should spend tonight at my mom's, she's probably worried sick.”  
  
“A'ight. Want me to come with? Evie won't mind if I take a rain-check, will ya?”  
  
Eve shrugged. “I'm not fussed.”  
  
“That's alright, I'll be fine on my own. You guys deserve to enjoy yourselves...” Aisha smiled gratefully, but waved Johnny off. “I should probably get going, anyhow.”  
  
“Want me to give you a ride?” Johnny asked.  
  
“That'd be nice, thanks.”  
  
Johnny nodded, and turned to Eve as he grabbed his keys. “Pick you up at 9?”  
  
“Works for me. See you at 9.”


	4. Rude Boy

Eve didn't know why she was spending so much time on her hair and makeup. Johnny was with Aisha, it wasn't like she was trying to get in his pants. And yet, here she was, considering wearing a dress just to go over to his apartment and drink a few beers. Besides, she'd not dated a guy in literally years, mostly because the ones she had dated tended to get weird and expect her to act differently once they'd become a couple. 

Aisha was much more her type. Pretty, feminine, sweet, and completely unafraid to stand up for her own wants, needs and desires. But there _was_ something infectious about Gat's personality, and the way he was so clearly in love with Aisha but terrible at showing it was endearing. She shook her head. She really didn't need to have a crush on one of her friends _and_ his partner. That got awkward real fast.  In the end, she threw the dress back in her suitcase and grabbed a pair of well-worn jeans (never mind that the reason they'd been worn so much was because they hugged her ass and thighs perfectly) and paired them with a short tank top that showed off her midriff. 

Her dad was, for a change, home, and sat in the living room watching TV. He'd finished several beers already by the time Johnny knocked at the door, but not so many that he was too far beyond sobriety.

“It's for me, I'll get it!” Eve called through from the kitchen where she was putting on her boots. “Who the hell's calling for you at this time of night?” he shouted back.

“I'm going over to a friend's to watch movies.” she answered. She daren't tell him they were planning on drinking, the hypocrisy of him chastising her for drinking underage would be too much.

The doorbell rang again just as she reached it. She swung it open, and motioned for Johnny to enter. “Hey Johnny. Almost ready, come in for a second.”

Eve's father was at the living room door in a shot. “You didn't tell me it was a boy.” he said accusingly.

Eve sighed, knowing that tone was a warning of her dad throwing a tantrum over what she was about to do. It never really stopped her from doing anything, but she still didn't enjoy fighting with her dad. “Dad, this is my friend Johnny Gat. Johnny, this is my dad, Josh Trahan.”

To her surprise, Johnny delivered his most disarming smile and extended a hand for him to shake. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Trahan.”

Her dad shook the hand that was offered, but didn't reply in kind. Instead, he turned to Eve and said “Don't be out all night.”

That was a lot more lenient than she'd been expecting. Johnny had clearly made a good impression. “Alright.” She replied. She finished lacing her boot and then began ushering Johnny back out the door before her dad changed his mind. “See you in a few hours.”

***

As it happened, Johnny had a nice one-bed apartment in Somerset. From the size of the TV in the corner and the plush sofa in front of it, crime clearly paid well. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach when Johnny disappeared off into the kitchen for a moment, and she stood around awkwardly. When he returned with a beer in each hand, he nodded towards the sofa and proceeded to sit in what was clearly his corner, where the cushions looked a lot more worn than elsewhere, and propped his feet up on the coffee table. He'd already popped off the cap of her beer, so she took a sip and perched on the edge of the sofa while Johnny turned on the TV.

“You've made a hell of an impression on Eesh.” he said, flicking absentmindedly through channels as he spoke. “She couldn't stop talking about you.” 

“Really? I mean, she seems lovely. But we didn't talk much.”

“Yeah, I think she might have a bit of a thing for you.” Johnny smiled, no hint of jealousy in his expression, just a sort of wry amusement.

“But she's with you!”

“And my mom's dog is named Spot, since we're talking about shit that's irrelevant. Want me to set you up?” 

“Uh… I guess?” Eve's mind was still reeling. So Johnny and Aisha were polyamorous, and Aisha, at least, was bi. That was going to take some getting used to. Not like it bothered her, but... This seemed too good to be true. Eve could have her cake _and_ eat it, too? Fuck it, this was definitely worth exploring. “Yeah, that would be good.”

Johnny let the conversation drop as he continued channel hopping. Eventually he found a station that was airing the original Lethal Weapon movie. “Hey, have you seen this film?”

“Is the Pope a Catholic?” Eve retorted. “Mel Gibson before he got all weird and racist, plus those tight jeans? The only mullet that ever looked good? This movie pretty much sparked my sexual awakening!”

Johnny choked on his beer. “I didn't know you swung that way.” He said, once he'd recovered.

Eve shrugged. “What can I say? I'm an equal opportunities employer.”

He laughed at that and took another swig of his beer, letting silence stretch between them as Mel Gibson outed himself as a cop to a group of drug dealers.

“That's a real badge, I'm a real cop, and this is a real fuckin' gun,” Eve mimicked. “Honestly, though, Lethal Weapon is still the second-best Christmas film of all time. I'm so glad it exists. Kinda ironic that a gang member would love movies about cops, right?” 

“Hah, I guess. What's the best Christmas film, in your oh-so-humble opinion?” asked Johnny, curiosity getting the better of him.

“Die Hard, duh.”

“Good choice.”

***

A few hours and many drinks later, Johnny had fallen asleep on the sofa, his feet propped up on the coffee table and his head resting on her shoulder. Eve knew she had to head home soon, but didn't want to leave Johnny where he was. His neck would hurt like hell tomorrow if she did.

She decided to try and wake him. She shook him gently and called his name, but no dice. He just snored louder. Instead, in a show of spectacular drunk logic, she decided to try and get him to his bed. Manhandling his bulky, barely-conscious form was easier said than done, but eventually she managed to get him to his room.

Eve didn’t bother trying to pull down the covers, just removed his glasses and attempted to dump him fully-clothed on top of the bed. She wasn’t expecting Johnny to drag her down with him, the pair of them landing with a slightly muffled thud in the middle of the mattress.

“What the fuck, Johnny?” She asked, trying to regain the breath that had been knocked out of her by their less than elegant landing.

He laughed for a couple of minutes, but eventually recovered enough to speak again. She wasn't sure why she didn't get up, but she didn't. His bed was comfortable and she was tired, she'd reason later. “Have I mentioned that you're kinda hot when you're pissed at me?” He replied, pupils blown so wide in the dim lighting that his already dark brown eyes looked almost black.

“You're wasted.”

“And you're still hot, since we're playing 'state the fuckin' obvious'.” he mumbled, grabbing her by the hip and dragging her body against his. “Whaddya say, Evie?”

She chuckled at the nickname. No one had called her 'Evie' since she was about 5. It was cute.

He pressed his mouth against hers, tongue teasing her lips open.

Eve took a deep breath to regain her senses when they parted, before gently pushing him away. “How the hell do you manage to be this attractive when you’re this drunk? And no, Johnny, I can’t. It wouldn’t be right.”

“So you’ll kill people, fake my girlfriend's death, but fucking me while I'm drunk is too far?” he asked, sounding more confused than annoyed.

“Pretty much. You want to bang me like a screen door in a hurricane when you’re sober, then you can tell me tomorrow and we’ll talk about it. But right now? You’re wasted, I’m not faring much better, and this is a terrible decision waiting to happen. I don’t want to fuck things up.”

Johnny sighed deeply, adjusting himself as he rolled onto his back. “Alright.”

“You’re not angry at me?”

“Nah. We’re good.”

“Good.” Eve said, placing a gentle kiss on the tip of his nose. “Because I like you too much to have to kill you.”


	5. Good, Giving, Game

When Eve woke the next morning, there was a text waiting on her phone from Johnny. “Meet me at Freckle Bitch's at 11.” She checked the time. It was now 10:15, that gave her fifteen minutes to shower and dress, then another 30 to get there. She sighed and rolled off the couch, then padded the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, she was dressed and out of the door, although her hair was still damp and clung wetly to her jawline. She dropped the convertible roof of her battered old Venom Classic, then shifted it into gear and took off towards Freckle Bitch's.

When she eventually arrived, she found Johnny and Aisha sitting outside eating. Aisha was chastising him for promising to take her out for breakfast, but bringing her to a fast-food restaurant instead. Eve couldn't really blame her, she'd be fuming too.

“Johnny being a cheap-ass motherfucker?” Eve asked, a smirk lighting her features.

“You know it.”Aisha replied. “At least someone around here knows how a girl wants to be treated.”

“Oh honey, you have no idea.” she flirted. “You wanna grab a drink sometime?”

Aisha smiled fondly. “Sure. I'll get your number from Johnny.”

Johnny coughed loudly, looking over the top of his glasses at the two women. Amusement sparkled in the dark brown depths of his eyes. “We ready to get down to business?”

“A'ight, what the fuck's going down?” Eve asked.

“So, I've been chatting with Eesh's sister. Turns out this Tania bitch has been fuckin' people in every sense of the word. Not only is she blowin' King's bodyguard Big Tony, she's fuckin' Warren Williams behind his back. The only motherfucker she's not leading around by the cock is King. So, put the hurt on Tania, and you're hurting the Kings as a whole. She runs a brothel in Prawn Court. Get your ass down there and fuck the place up. Put the murder on anyone you see – customers included. Who wants to die for a blowjob, right?” Johnny chuckled, then continued. “But be careful. She's probably got some muscle in there.”

***

Some muscle had been putting it mildly, Eve thought as she limped back to her car. Speaking of which, between its various dents and the new bullet holes that riddled it, the car seemed to be held together mostly by rust, hope and the occasional patch of duct tape at this point. She'd have to seriously consider finding a replacement soon. Unless she could repair it, maybe upgrade some of the parts… But that'd be costly. She'd been saving up the small amount of money she'd earned from the neighbourhoods she'd helped the Saints gain control of, but she didn't know if she'd have enough to cover whatever it'd take to get the car back in shape. She did, however, know a girl who might be able to help.  
With shaky hands, she pulled out her phone and called the number she had listed for Lin.

“Hey there newbie, what do you need?” Lin answered.

“My car's falling apart. I don't suppose you'd be interested in helping me out with it?”

“Maybe… What's in it for me?” asked Lin, amusement evident in her voice.

“My eternal gratitude? We can discuss your plan for screwing the Rollers while we're at it.”

“Alright, sounds good. Meet me at the Rim Jobs by the Ultor Dome.”

Lin was waiting when Eve pulled into the garage, a set of blue overalls tied around her waist and a black spaghetti-strapped top on her upper half.

“What the hell have you been doing in that thing?” she asked.

“Pissing off Vice Kings.” Eve replied.

“It'd probably be cheaper and easier to just write it off and find something else.”

“I would, but this car used to be my dad's. He kept it for when I learned to drive. I'm kind of attached to it... And it runs pretty well.”

Lin blew out a breath then nodded. “Let's get down to it, then.”

Several hours later, Eve had picked out new body work for the Venom Classic. She decided to stick with the convertible roof, but it needed to be replaced, as did most of the other panels. She chose an iridescent pinkish-purple paint job, and dark tints for the windows, then it was time to head out to catch the car delivery for the Rollers. She jacked a parked Shogun a few streets away, mentally apologising to its owner profusely, then drove towards the church, where she was planning on stopping to pick up Troy. After she'd filled him in on the specifics of the plan, he decided to make small talk. 

“How're things going with the Vice Kings?” he asked, casually enough.

“Why don't you ask Johnny or Dex? I'm just a grunt.”

“Hah,” Troy laughed. “They think I ask too many questions as it is. Dex says it makes me sound like a cop.”

“Well, are you?” Eve asked, her tone deadly serious.

The look on Troy's face was priceless. “No!” he denied, a blush bringing a reddish tint to his lightly freckled cheeks.

Eve barked out a laugh, and continued giggling until there were tears in her eyes. “Oh, Troy. You're a treat.”

“You're a terrible person.” Troy said, a smile showing in the crinkles around his eyes and the way his lips twitched up at the corners.

“Damn right, it's why I'm so much fun.” she replied, her grin unrepentant.

Troy rolled his eyes. “Come on, let's get moving.”

Getting Troy in to jack the truck was easy enough. Protecting it on the way back to Samson wasn't quite so simple. She wished she'd brought someone else along to assist. Driving _and_ shooting was a pain in the dick. Eventually, they lost their tail and made it to the garage where Samson was waiting. Eve jumped out of the car and thanked whatever deities existed that she'd still been driving the Shogun, because it was riddled with bullet holes. This was going to become something of a regular occurrence, she could tell, and it was going to wreak havoc with her finances if she drove own her car on these missions.

She leaned against the hood as Samson came out and accepted the delivery from Troy. While she was waiting, her phone rang. She didn't recognise the number on the screen. “Hello?” she answered.

“Eve?” Said a woman's voice.

She didn't recognise it immediately, but after a moment or two, realisation hit. “Aisha! What's can I do you for?”

Aisha chuckled briefly. “Johnny gave me your cell number. You want to get that drink soon?”

“I'm free this evening, if that suits you?”

“Great. Me too!”

“Where were you thinking?”

“I'm not sure… Where would you like to go?”

“Well, I'm not 21 yet, so most bars are out.”

“I should probably try and stay out of the public eye anyway. How about my place?”

“Sounds nice.”

“Want me to cook?”

“Only if you don't mind.”

“Of course not. Is seven okay?”

“Absolutely.”

 


	6. Make Yourself Comfortable

After picking up her car, Eve headed straight for Aisha's place. It was a nice apartment out in the suburbs, in a block of six. Eve pressed the call button for Aisha's apartment, number 23 on the street, for entry. Aisha picked up straight away and buzzed her in.  They chatted for a while as Aisha cooked, about everything and anything. How she'd met Johnny (they'd attended the same high school), how she'd got her start in the music business (Julius had actually put her in touch with Ben King before the Vice Kings started getting too out of control), and much more.   
  
Eventually, she'd finished cooking and they sat down to eat.  Dinner was quinoa, kale and cherry salad with grilled chicken breast. Eve grimaced internally. It looked stunning, and she didn't want to offend Aisha, but she hated quinoa. She thought it reminded her of the polyester balls used to fill beanbags. The texture was just wrong. Eve picked around it and tried not to show her distaste for the grain, but Aisha picked up on it anyway when Eve had finished the rest.

“Not a fan of quinoa, huh?” 

Eve shook her head. “That obvious?”  


“Yeah, sorry, you're really not as subtle as you think.” Aisha laughed. “It's fine, Johnny hates it as well.”  


“Yeah, well, that man eats at Freckle Bitch's on the regular, I wouldn't count him as an expert on good food any day soon.” Eve said, her tone affectionate.  


“I can get you something else if you want?”  


“Nah, I'm good. The rest of the salad was great, though. I liked the goats cheese. And the chicken was perfect.”  


“Thank you.”  


“You finished?” Eve asked, offering to take Aisha's plate. “I'll do the dishes.”  


Aisha nodded and passed her empty plate over to Eve. “You come house-trained as well as being good at compliments? Johnny didn't tell me that. I've got a dishwasher, but thank you for the offer.”   


“Yeah, well, Johnny didn't get a chance to find out. We watched action movies and drank a lot of beer. Then he tried to make out with me while he was wasted.” Eve explained as they made their way through to the kitchen. She scraped the remains  of quinoa salad from her plate into the bin and loaded their plates into the dishwasher.

“So, how was it?” Aisha asked, a playful cadence to her voice.  


“The movie? It was Lethal Weapon. Great film.” Eve replied, her tone matching Aisha's.  


“I didn't mean that and you know it. Did you sleep with him?”  


“No, actually, I didn't.” Eve answered honestly. “He was drunk, I was drunk, it seemed like a bad idea.”  


Aisha nodded and leaned in a little closer to Eve. “Well, I'm not drunk.”  


“And neither am I.” Eve smiled, leaning in as well.  


Their lips touched and it was sweet in a way Eve really didn't think she's ever get used to. Aisha's soft, plush lips felt so utterly  _right_ against her own. She brought up a hand to cup the other woman's face as she deepened their kiss. Aisha tasted faintly of the dry white wine they'd shared over dinner. Their tongues teased each other until Eve moaned and had to come up for air.  Both of them were breathing hard when they finally separated. Eve couldn't even formulate coherent thought. They stood there, facing each other in the kitchen, and Aisha brought her forehead down to rest against Eve's.

“You wanna stay the night?” Aisha asked.  


“Yeah.”

***  


Aisha collapsed on the bed, a satisfied sigh escaping her lips. Eve climbed up next to her and stroked her fingers gently down the other woman’s back as they lay in silence. Morning light filtered through the thin curtains and sunbeams spread across Aisha's smooth brown skin.

Aisha started to giggle. She continued until curiosity got the better of Eve and she eventually asked “What?”

“Your ability to eat ass like it's your job and then turn down quinoa because it's 'gross' is confusing.”

“Hey, clean ass is just skin. Quinoa is just the devil's grain.”

“You're bizarre.”

“Do you want me to fuck you again or would you rather complain about my dietary choices?”

“Hm…” Aisha took a moment to ponder the question. “Hard decision.”

“No.” Eve said, reaching for the nightstand and conjuring a large purple dildo from the draw. She waved it in Aisha's direction. “ _This_ is hard.”

Aisha buried her face in the pillow for a full minute. “You're awful _and_ bizarre.”

“Yes, but I didn't hear any complaints last night.”

“Don't you have to meet Johnny this morning?”

“ _Fuck._ ” Eve said. She rolled off the bed in a scramble to get up and landed flat on her face. Classic. “ _Ouch_.”

“You okay?” Aisha asked, concerned.

“Yeah. My pride's wounded but nothing's broken.”

“Good. When were you supposed to meet him, then?”

“9:45. What time is it?”

“A little after 11. I'll text him and say it's my fault. Grab a shower and get ready. He shouldn't be too pissed at you.”

“Thanks, babe. You're an angel.”

 


	7. Clique

When she arrived back at the church it was to find Troy outside having a smoke. He frowned at her as she walked towards him, so she stopped instead of just saying hi and walking past.

“What have I done now?” she asked.

Troy blew out a cloud of smoke before responding. “Same clothes as yesterday. Date with Aisha go well, then?”

“How come everyone in this gang knows my social life almost as well as I do?”

“Well if you're fucking Gat's girlfriend it's kinda our business.”

Okay, that put her on the defensive. It wasn't like she was doing anything behind Johnny's back. “He set me up with her!”

“True, true. Doesn't mean we aren't gonna look out for him though.”

“He's big enough and ugly enough to look after himself.”

That was the moment Johnny chose to walk out to meet her. Fucking perfect.

“Who's ugly?” He asked.

Eve blushed beet red for a moment. “You.” she said, then stormed inside, leaving Troy to explain.

***

Eve was waiting in the office by the time Johnny walked back in, his face like thunder. “Sorry about Troy,” he said, unpacking a selection of weapons and spreading them across the desk. “I don't think he really gets the way things are with me and Eesh. He seems to think we argue because we aren't monogamous, when it's the other way round. With her being the other side of the country half the time and me being, well, me, she needed me there more than I could be. If she can date other people, she's not lonely, you know?”

“Hey you don't have to explain shit to me.” Eve said, running a hand through her hair. 

Johnny sighed. “I know.” He was quiet for a couple of minutes, continuing to lay weapons out on the table. When he finished, he took a step back and a slow smile spread across his face.

“So what are we planning now?” she asked.

“Clearing Vice Kings out of the old police station. It ain't gonna be easy, so I've got some of my crew meeting us there.”

“A'ight, that works.” Eve began reloading her own weapons on the other side of the desk as Johnny perused his collection.

Johnny picked up a baseball bat and swung it experimentally. “Nah, don't think I'm feeling the bat today. This is always the hardest part for me, you know? Balancing stopping power with personal enjoyment.” he said, putting it down and trailing his fingers over the desk until he settled on a pistol. He cocked the gun, checked the safety was on, then slid it into the back of his jeans, before moving on to another weapon, a switchblade knife. He flicked it open and closed, checking if it was sharp enough in between, then pocketed it. His final choice was a shotgun, and as he picked it up and cocked it, he spoke. “Oooh yeah. I'm feelin' this. You ready to rock?”

“You bet your ass I am.”

They walked around to the front of the church where Johnny's car, a purple convertible Venom with a beautiful gold dragon decal down the side, was waiting. When he'd picked her up the other day, it had been in a beaten up old thing, so she hadn't seen this before. She whistled loudly as they approached. 

Johnny chuckled. “Impressive, right? You wanna drive her?”

Eve nodded emphatically, and barely caught the keys as Johnny threw them at her over the trunk of the car. She jumped in the driver's seat with a grin a mile wide plastered across her face. When she started the car up, the engine purred. She looked up to find Johnny smiling fondly at her, and she smiled back. After checking they'd both put on their seat belts, she sped out of the driveway and down the street.

“That Tanya bitch lucked out when we took out her brothel. This time, she's gonna get what's coming to her.”

Eve didn't reply, too engrossed in the feeling of the wind through her hair and a powerful car under her control. 

“After we're done with this whore, I wanna find Big Tony. You listen to Julius talk about the guy, and he makes it sound like the guy's built like a fuckin' APC! Well I'm lookin' forward to takin' him apart.” Johnny continued.

There wasn't a lot to say to that, so Eve just nodded and continued driving.

“Yeah, I've got a good feeling about this. I think it'll be a nice bonding experience.”

As they pulled up to the police station, they discovered some of Johnny's crew crouched behind their car, engaged in a shoot-out with a couple of Vice Kings. It only took Johnny and Eve to turn the tide of battle, and before long the steps leading up to the entrance were clear. Eve reloaded her pistol briefly before kicking open the door and entering, weapon raised to find Tanya standing by the stairs leading out of the room. Her reaction time wasn't fast enough, and Tanya ran while she was taking out the other VKs in the room.

Johnny and Eve chased her through the building, killing Vice Kings as they went. Johnny was brutal in a fight, and she noticed just why he hadn't got involved in her canonization. He'd probably have killed her.

When they caught up with Tanya, it was to find her standing by the window looking too casual. She knew in a second something was wrong, but she was too late, and Big Tony brought the butt of his gun down across her skull. She fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

Eve came around to the sound of a gunshot and Johnny shouting in pain. Fuck, whatever was going down she needed to do something about it. Gat was hurt. 

“Now you've got a shitty leg.” said Big Tony.

She turned her head to see Johnny pull the switchblade out of his pocket and dive towards Big Tony, tackling him to the ground. Tony screamed as Gat shouted “So do you!”

So, he'd stabbed the motherfucker. Good.

She dragged herself up from the floor to get in on the action. Maybe she could take out Tanya. No, she had Gat's pistol and all of Eve's weapons were out of ammo. Fuck. 

Johnny realised Eve was up and yelled at her to get out. He was right, she wasn't going to be any use here. She ran for the window, shoving Tanya out of the way on the way, then jumped out.

***

The next hour she spent trying to avoid the police. Once things had cooled down a little, she mad her way back to the church. Julius, Dex and Aisha were sitting at the back of the building, Aisha pacing and tearful, Dex and Julius looking grim but determined.

Seeing Aisha like this was heartbreaking, though, and it was her fault. She opened her mouth to apologise, but Julius held up a hand, cutting her off.

“Sit down.” He said. “We've got a plan to rescue Johnny.”

“Think it'll work?” she asked.

“It has to.”

“The shit Johnny had been saying about Warren and Tanya really got to Tony. Now the only time she's allowed out of his sight is when she's checking on the rebuilding of the recording studio.” Dex explained.  


“That bitch gets driven to the construction site in a limo, then sneaks off to get her freak on with Warren before she goes back home to Tony.” Julius continued. “While she's busy sucking cock, you deal with the chauffeur and take his  place. Once she's done wiping her mouth, she'll have you drive her home. Once you're at Tony's, it's all up to you.”

She nodded. There wasn't a lot of room for failure but on paper this seemed simple enough. And she had to set things right, had to get Johnny back. She got up to leave, and Aisha followed. `Aisha pulled her to the side as they stepped out into the daylight.  


Eve opened her mouth to apologise again, but Aisha cut her off this time.  


“Please bring Johnny back,” she said. “Just, don't tell him I was worried.”  


“Why the hell not? Anyone can tell you two are crazy about each other.”  


“Johnny doesn't like...”  


Eve shook her head and interrupted. “You two have been together how long?”  


“What's that supposed to mean?” Aisha asked, defensively.  


“I mean, I think you'd be surprised what Johnny does and doesn't like if you'd give him a chance. If you don't like feeling vulnerable because sometimes he's let you down in the past, just say it, but don't blame it on what he's  comfortable with.”

Aisha sighed, eyes cast downwards. Tears welled up and threatened to fall.

Eve put her hand on Aisha's shoulder, and when tears did begin to roll down her cheeks, she brought the other woman in for a hug. “Hey, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm gonna get him back, I promise. But the pair of you need to sort your shit out when I do.”

“I just love him so much, you know?” Aisha sobbed into Eve's shoulder.

“I know, I know. And he knows it too.” she replied, stroking Aisha's hair. “I need to go. Wait here. I'll bring him back as soon as I can.”


	8. Dorothy Parker Had Days Like This

As soon as she could wasn't fucking soon enough. Tanya wittered on incessantly in the back of the limo, ordering her to take detours by a clothing store and then by Friendly Fire so she could pick up a gift for the boyfriend she was cheating on, all while laughing about how stupid he was to not know she was fucking Warren Williams behind his back. _What a bitch,_ Eve thought, as she tightened her jaw even further to avoid making some snarky comment. The constant tension was starting to make her teeth ache.

When Tanya was finally ready to go home, Julius called. Troy had sent some of his boys to intercept Tanya and apparently hadn't got the memo about her little covert op. Fuck. At least Julius had given her a little warning. She had to lose them, and fast, but with Tanya screaming in the back that was easier said than done. She put her foot to the floor and tried to take a detour down a few side-streets, swerving between the traffic. It took a while, and the limo wasn't exactly the most maneuverable vehicle, but eventually they stopped appearing in the rear view mirror. She let out a shaky sigh of relief and continued onwards to Tony's place.

Once Tanya got out of the limo, she let her head fall to the steering wheel, the impact making the horn honk briefly. _Fucking hell, that was stressful._ She took a moment to breathe, then shook off the anxiety and entered the building. Creeping up behind Tanya and knocking her out was easy enough. It was  tempting to put a bullet in the bitch's head right there, but Eve thought better of it, realising she'd need to get the drop on Tony if she was going to get Johnny back.  
Eve sighed dejectedly and booted Tanya's prone body hard in the ribs, enough that she heard a crack. That'd put the little skank out of action for a bit, at least.

She tried to be quiet as she made her way up the stairs, but as soon as she rounded the corner into the kitchen/dining area she was spotted by 3 or four Vice Kings. Fantastic luck, as always. The doorway provided a good choke point, though, so it wasn't long before she'd taken out all of the VKs in the apartment.. Apart from Big Tony.

Making her way into the living area, she spotted Johnny in the corner, the chair he was tied to overturned so he was lying on his side. He was facing away from her, and he wasn't moving, so she couldn't see if he was alive. Her blood ran cold. Rage soared above everything else. If they'd killed Johnny, there was nothing anyone could do to stop her killing every last Vice King to get revenge. She called Johnny's name and almost ran to him, when she saw him move.

“Don't worry about me, you take that fucker out!” he yelled.

She looked up just in time to see Big Tony making his way out of the bedroom with a shotgun in his hands. Her hands were shaking, she was so full of adrenaline, but her aim stayed relatively true and she put a bullet in his head. Blood and brain matter sprayed, coating the wall behind him. He fell to the floor. She didn't suppose he'd be getting up from that any time soon.

She reloaded her gun, and was leaning against the wall to catch her breath, trying to process everything, when Johnny spoke again.

“Hey, not to be pushy or nothin', but how about you get me out of this FUCKING CHAIR?!”

She rushed over to him and righted his chair, then scurried off to the kitchen to find a knife sharp enough to cut through the ropes tying him down. When she came back, she made quick work of them.

“Bout fuckin' time you got here.” Johnny bitched. He tried to stand up but his kneecap was clearly shattered and he stumbled before she caught him. “Where's Tony?”

She pointed to the spot where his corpse still lay.

Johnny limped over to the body and inspected her handiwork. He blew out a breath and laughed. “You did one hell of a number on him. Nice shot!”

“If I could have, I'd have nuked him from orbit just to be sure.” Eve said, a wry smile playing across her lips. “Let's get you to the hospital, huh?”

“A'ight. I heard Tony say he's got some heavy shit tin the back. I'll have some of our boys roll on over and bring the hardware back to the crib.”

***

Eve called Aisha on their way to the hospital, despite Johnny protesting that it wasn't necessary. Unnecessary or no, Eve was certain Aisha would kill her if she didn't call. It wasn't long after they'd arrived and been settled behind a curtained off section of the emergency room that Aisha rushed in. Here eyes, while still a little red from crying, had been neatened up with concealer. It wasn't likely that Johnny would notice. Still, Eve figured it'd be worth giving them a moment or two alone, and quietly excused herself to go get a coffee. 

The coffee machine all the way down the hall could barely be classed as that. The liquid it called coffee was brown, bitter water with a tiny dash of the worst milk she'd ever been subjected to. Even soy was better than this. She grimaced as she took another sip. No amount of sugar could make it bearable, so she placed the full cup back on top of the machine in warning to anyone else who might be brave enough to try it.

She'd managed to get maybe 50 yards away before she could hear Johnny and Aisha arguing. She wasn't close enough to actually hear what was being said, and before she could get closer Aisha stormed out from behind the curtain. 

Aisha took one look at Eve, mumbled “I'm sorry, this was a terrible idea. I have to go.” then scurried off before Eve could respond, leaving her wondering what in the hell had been said in that room.

She walked back behind the curtain to find Johnny staring off sullenly into the middle distance. 

“What in the hell happened?” she asked.

Silence.

“I swear to god, I leave you two alone for five minutes and Aisha's leaving in tears. What did you say to her?”

Silence again. 

Eve grabbed a chair and threw herself down in it. “You know damn well I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me, so get on with it.”  
  
“You should go after her.” Johnny finally said.  
  
“Not until you tell me what happened.”  
  
“I told her I didn't need her here.”  
  
Eve groaned and put her head in her hands. “And you think she doesn't know that? Did it occur to you that she was here despite the fact she thinks you don't need her at all, or even want her that much? She thinks you don't love her. And she does love you.”  
  
Johnny had the gall to look offended. “She doesn't think that. She knows how I feel about her.”  
  
“You two are as bad as each other for making assumptions about what the other is feeling.” Eve responded, blowing out a breath that made her hair flutter in front of her face.  
  
“I told her she had you if she wanted to do her mammy routine.” He admitted reluctantly.  
  
“You didn't.”  
  
“I kinda did.”  
  
“Oh god. You… Sonofa… She should have kicked your ass. _I_ should kick your ass _for her_. Holy fuck, _why_ did you say that? That is some racially insensitive shit, man. You know better than to.. And why on earth did you have to bring me into this?”  
  
“I fucked up.”  
  
“You _really_ fucked up. She was worried about you, you know?”  
  
“I know.” Johnny sighed and rubbed a hand across his face. “I'm such a fuckin' asshole.”  
  
“Sometimes, yeah, you really are.”  
  
They sat there in silence for several minutes, until a nurse arrived to take Johnny for his x-ray. They assured Eve that the x-ray would take few minutes, so she decided to pop outside for a quick smoke.  
  
The night air was bitter, so she pulled her coat a little tighter against the chill in the air. She lit up as she exited the doors, and wandered over to the nearest park bench, where, surprisingly, Aisha was sitting. Eve had assumed she'd have gone home by now. It was far too fucking cold to be hanging around in hospital parking lots.  
  
“I didn't mean to come between you and him.” she said, by way of apology.  
  
Aisha choked out a laugh that sounded more like a sob. “You didn't. He's just using whatever ammunition he thinks will get under my skin.”  
  
Eve took a long drag from her cigarette, then sat down on the bench. “Hey, what he said was way out of line, and he knows it. That doesn't excuse it, though.”  
  
“How's he doing?”  
  
“He's pretty pissed off at himself.” Eve explained. “They've just taken him for an x-ray.”  
  
Aisha nodded. “I don't know if I can keep doing this.” She sighed. “I can't keep fighting with him. It's so exhausting.”  
  
Eve put her free hand in Aisha's and stroked her thumb gently with her own. “Of course it is. Just give yourself a break. Maybe go see your mom for a while. Think things over for a few days, then make whatever decisions you need to for you.”  
  
“You're right. Thanks.”  
  
“Usually am, not that anyone ever fuckin' listens to me.” Eve chuckled, dropping her cigarette and grinding it out underneath her boot.


	9. Blue Flashing Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for this chapter - a reasonably graphic depiction of domestic violence between Eve and her father.

It was close to 4am by the time Eve made it through her front door. She'd dropped Johnny off and got him settled at home, then come back here to grab a shower, some sleep and a change of clothes.

Her dad was waiting for her as she stepped into the living room, and if the pile of beer cans by the sofa or the stench of alcohol that assaulted her senses was anything to go by, he was steaming drunk. Josh Trahan looked her up and down with disgust. His normally pale complexion was ruddy, the alcohol giving him the look of a man who'd been in the sun too long.

“Where the fuck have you been?” he demanded, words slurred. “Who the fuck do you think you are?!”

“I'm your daughter.” Eve said, careful to keep her tone mild and her voice even.

“You watch that smart mouth under my roof, or I'll shut it for you!” he yelled, wrenching himself up from the sofa and charging towards her. He grabbed her by the arms and slammed her into the wall. She closed her eyes and tried not to whimper in pain when her head cracked against the edge of the door frame. She knew from experience that if she complained it'd only provoke him further. Then again, if she didn't say anything at all, he'd take that as provocation too. It was pretty much a lose-lose scenario.

“You're a selfish, ungrateful little bitch, just like your mother. Always running away.”

Eve bit her tongue and tried not to say the thoughts that came to mind. _You blame her for leaving? When you're like this? When this is only a fraction of the shit you did to her?_ “I'm not running anywhere, Dad.” she muttered, instead.

He dragged her into the bathroom then, and held her by the hair, forcing her to look into the mirror. “What do you see?”

“Myself.” Eve said, quietly.

“I see a lying little whore.”

Eve swallowed around the lump in her throat. Tears threatened to fall, but she wouldn't give this bastard the satisfaction of seeing her cry, of knowing he was getting what he wanted. “I'm not a whore.”

“You're a lying little cunt!” he yelled, grasping her hair harder and throwing her sideways, slamming her head into the wall, once, twice, three times. Her vision swam for a second as she tried to steady herself, before giving up completely. Everything went black as she crumpled to the floor.

***

Eve woke up on the cold, hard tiles, her head throbbing and spinning. She could hear her dad in the kitchen, still ranting and raving. From the clink of glass she heard, he'd clearly moved onto stronger spirits. She looked up. There was blood smeared on the wall. Gingerly, she touched her head and found a wound, damp and sticky where the blood tried to clot.  
  
She fumbled for her pistol and found it still tucked into the back of her jeans. She quietly withdrew it, pushing herself to her feet. It was still loaded, so she flicked the safety off and held it in front of her as she exited the bathroom.  
  
Josh had obviously heard her get up, because he came to confront her again. He wasn't expecting her to be armed, though, if the way he paled when he came face to face with the barrel of her gun was anything to go by. “Where did you get that?” he asked.  
  
“Doesn't matter. If you even think about trying to lay another hand on me, I'll kill you. I mean it.” she said, voice shaking and barely above a whisper. “I'm going to get my things and then leave. You can drink yourself to death, I don't care any more.”  
  
“If you leave now, you don't get to come back. Are you sure about that?” Josh asked.  
  
_God, what a cliché,_ Eve thought.“Yes. I wanted you to be the dad that I remembered, but you're not. You're not him. You're the bastard who broke my mom's jaw so completely that it had to be wired shut, then laughed about it when she came home. I thought maybe I could get you to go to rehab, or something, anything. But you're never going to change, are you? You're going to keep doing this until one of us is dead. Well tough, it's not going to be me.”  
  
In a shocking display of restraint, Josh Trahan was silent while she grabbed her bags and left.  
  
It wasn't until she was in her car outside that the tears started to fall. The clock embedded into her dashboard said it was a little before 5am. Aisha was at her mom's, so Eve couldn't just show up there. Especially not looking like this. She supposed she could head by the church, or call Troy or Dex, but she was feeling vulnerable and raw right now, so she didn't really want to be around anyone who would ask too many questions. She took a deep breath and started the car. Johnny would be home, and if she didn't want to talk about this, he wouldn't make her.

***

She knocked at Johnny's door, shifting from one foot to another nervously as she waited. Maybe he'd already gone to bed. It was getting pretty late, or rather, early. When he eventually got to the door, he was dressed only in his boxers and the leg brace he'd been given at the hospital. He held a beer in one hand. Gesturing for her to come in, he then made his way back to the sofa.  
  
“You shouldn't really be drinking while taking those painkillers.” Eve said, by way of greeting.  
  
“Yeah, well, shit happens.” he said, groaning as he attempted to sit. “You want one?”  
  
“The beer or the meds?”  
  
“Why not both?” Johnny grinned, tossing her a beer from the new mini-fridge he had set up by the sofa. “Treat yourself. Besides, you look like you could use it.”  
  
“You might have a point there.” Eve sighed, reaching for a codeine, then cracking the bottle open on the coffee table. She knocked back the pill with a gulp of the cold beer, and leaned back. “So, my dad's an asshole.”  
  
“He why you look like you went five rounds with Mike Tyson?”  
  
“Yup.”  
  
“You need somewhere to lay low for a while?”  
  
“Yeah, but, I mean, I'm sure Julius and I will be able to sort something out. He offered me that safe house when I first joined the Saints, remember?”  
  
Johnny nodded. “You wanna stay here tonight, though?”  
  
“Is that okay? I can find somewhere else if it's too much bother.”  
  
“Shut the fuck up, a'ight? It's fine.”  
  
They sat quietly as Johnny channel-hopped for a few minutes.  
  
Eve yawned as the combination of medication and beer started to kick in and make her slightly drowsy. She scooted a little closer to Johnny on couch and leaned her head against his shoulder.

“You tired?” he asked.  
  
“Just a bit.” she replied, a lop-sided smile on her face. Her brain felt fuzzy in a really good way. Nothing hurt and she was so relaxed she was surprised she wasn't melting into a puddle right there on the sofa.  
  
“You wanna go to bed?”  
  
Eve shook her head. “I'll take the couch when you do.”  
  
“Don't be an idiot. You're the guest. I'll take the couch.”  
  
“You need your bed, your leg is all fucked up.” she argued.  
  
“Well thanks for the reminder, bitch.” Johnny laughed, standing up. “As if I could forget.”  
  
She smiled softly, her eyes crinkling at the edges. _God, he's pretty,_ she thought, when he took off his glasses and dumped them on the coffee table.  
  
“Fine. We'll share. That okay?”  
  
“You sure?”  
  
“It's a double bed, we're not likely to run out of space.”  
  
Eve laughed at that. He did have a point.  
  
Johnny held his hand out to her. She took it and he pulled her up from the sofa. He pulled a little too hard and she stumbled, falling into his arms. She squeaked as he caught her.  
  
“What the fuck kinda noise was that?” he asked.  
  
“Fuck off.”  
  
His mouth was inches from hers, close enough that she could feel his breath against her face. She closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his. He kissed her tenderly, but pulled away after a few seconds and held her face gently between his hands.  
  
“I'm not gonna fuck you when you're high.” he said.  
  
Eve made a needy, disappointed sort of whimper in the back of her throat.  
  
“You wouldn't fuck me when I was drunk. Same logic.” Despite himself, he brushed his thumb across her lower lip.  
  
She brought it into her mouth, flicked her tongue against the tip, then nipped at the digit gently with her teeth.  
  
Johnny closed his eyes and savoured the sensation for a moment, groaning, then pulled his thumb back. “Bed. Sleep. Now. Before I lose the little willpower I have.” 


	10. Rock Star

“Dex, don't worry. I have a plan!” said Johnny.

Dex didn't look impressed. “Johnny, your idea of a plan is taking the biggest hammer you can find and smashing whatever is in your way.”

“Well that sounds like a plan to me!”

“Yeah, a shitty one. As your whack-ass robo-leg clearly proves.” Dex said, gesturing to the knee brace Johnny wore.

Eve, who had been sitting in the corner quietly, listening to the two men spar verbally, scoffed.

“Oh, fuck you.” Johnny retorted.

“Next time you try that cowboy shit, you might not walk away at all.”

“No, seriously. Fuck. You.”

Dex blinked, clearly unphased by Johnny's blustering. “Look, I worked out a plan that'll hurt the Kings and put minimum risk on you.”

“How much murdering do I get to do?”

“None.”

“Your plan blows.”

“Hear me out, a'ight? King's obviously got something going on with the police, I'll figure that shit out. In the mean time I want you two to go out and cause some havoc. If we can turn the public's eye to the King's, then the police won't have a choice but to come down on 'em.” Dex explained.

“Okay, so we go and do some damage. How do the VKs get blamed?” asked Johnny.

“Put these on.” Dex threw a yellow t-shirt at Johnny and another at Eve.

Eve had been wondering why Dex had asked them to meet him at the Sloppy Seconds on Harrowgate. This explained a lot.

Johnny looked at Dex blankly. “Uhhh… I'm yellow enough as it is, Dex.”

“Just put the damn shirt on.” 

Johnny gave in. “Fine.”

***

“So,” Eve asked as they exited the store. “We need to attract enough police and media attention for them to think we're Vice Kings. I know Dex said no murdering, but… How much murdering _are_ we going to do?”

“As much as I think we can get away with, then maybe a little more.” Johnny grinned. 

“Thought so. So, what's the plan?” she asked, stepping into the road and signaling a car to pull over. One did and she quickly removed the driver from the front seat and hopped in in his place. Johnny jumped into the passenger seat and they sped off.

“How about we go shopping?” Johnny suggested.

“A'ight. Don't say I never take you anywhere nice, honey.”

It took them a few minutes to reach the retail district, and thanks to Eve's reckless driving they'd gathered a following of cop cars and TV vans. They pulled up outside Impressions and stormed inside. Gat shot the shopkeeper before he even knew what was happening, and his lifeless body collapsed to the floor. Eve grimaced. She wasn't usually into unprovoked violence on civilians, but the Kings needed to go down, and this was the quickest and safest way to do it. They moved on to a jewelry store up the street, and did the same there.

The area was starting to get too hot now, so they bundled back into the stolen car. As they were trying to shake some of the police on their tail, Eve had an idea.

“Hey, how do you feel about bowling?” she asked Johnny.

“What are you thinking?”

“You know that big ugly statue of the pins?”

“Yeah?” Johnny asked, not making the connection.

“Well, how about we go bowling?”

“You wanna destroy the statue? With what?”

Eve gestured to the car around her.

Johnny shrugged. “Fuck it, I'm game.”

It turned out to be even easier than Eve was expecting, since there was a perfectly placed mound of earth next to the statue that provided the ideal ramp. She maneuvered the car into position, then put her foot to the floor, speeding up the ramp. Eve and Johnny both cried out with exhilaration as the car broke over the ramp and flew through the air. They were airborne for what seemed like forever, but was probably only a second or two, before crashing down on the statue. The pins came tumbling down, and the car was still running. Amazing. Eve screeched with laughter as she put her foot down again to escape the cops.

This time, it was Johnny that had the idea.

“You know that statue of Alderman Hughes?”

“The big ugly fucker with the ball?” asked Eve.

“Yeah that's the one.” he confirmed.

“You wanna smash it?”

“Fuck yes.” 

They were speeding down a highway when Johnny noticed a bulldozer sat by the side of the road. “Stop!” he shouted. “That's perfect.”

“Damn right.” Eve said, swinging the car around and pulling up next to the other vehicle.

It took her a minute to hot-wire, but she managed it eventually. Once it was started, she drove it towards the statue. There were cops hot on her heels, but Johnny was keeping most of them busy and the bulldozer was hardier than their Five-Os. It wasn't long before she found herself lining up the bulldozer with the statue and driving into it as fast as the crawler would allow. For half a second, she worried that the force of the crash wouldn't be enough to topple the statue, and then she _was_ driving into it and it _did_ fall apart. _Thank god._

Laughing maniacally, she jumped out of the vehicle and ran back to where Johnny was waiting with the car, narrowly dodging bullets as she went. This was spectacular.

***

It’d only been a half hour since Johnny and Eve had gone their separate ways. They’d been at the church until gone 4am, drinking and talking shit, celebrating their latest victory over the Vice Kings and generally just trying to distract each other from, well, everything. It was clear Johnny was missing Aisha, but she knew he needed to give her time to work through her own feelings. She deserved that much, and who knew, maybe when she'd worked it all out, her and Johnny would be a better couple for it. Absence did make the heart grow fonder, after all.

After she made it through the door to her place, she’d stripped off, trailing clothes behind her as she stumbled tiredly into the shower to wash the smell of stale beer and desperation from her skin. The warm spray was comforting, but did nothing to get thoughts of him out of her head. She stepped out of the shower and toweled herself off before padding naked to her bed. She'd climbed under the covers and was just drifting into unconsciousness when her phone beeped. Grabbing for the device on the nightstand, she cracked one eye open to see what was so damn urgent that someone would be texting her at almost 5am.

_Gat: I wish Costco sold Astroglide._

A dozen images flashed through her mind in a split second, and all of them were incredibly hot. She brought up the keyboard to tap out a reply.

_I wish my brain was less awake and didn't try to picture what you're talking about.  
_

Less than a minute later, while she was still trying to get her hormones under control, her phone beeped again.

_Gat: Thinking of you._

 


	11. Beez in the Trap

Getting drunk with Troy had been a _terrible_ idea. She'd needed to vent her feelings about Johnny to someone, _anyone_ , and when Troy had invited her to stay and drink with a couple of the guys at the church while they played poker, it'd seemed like a decent respite from her own brain. Besides, Troy was probably the least likely out of the crew to ridicule her for it.

Not that that had stopped him from literally spitting out his drink and almost choking to death when everyone else had left and Eve blurted out “I think I might be falling in love with Johnny.”

Another bottle of vodka and a pack of cigarettes later, Troy was dropping her off at the safe house Julius had set her up in. He left her with strict instructions to tell Johnny how she was feeling, but to wait until she was sober before doing it, in case she wasn't thinking straight.

Eve had laughed at that. “I can't think straight ever. You should know that by now, Troy.”

It didn't help that booze made Eve horny nine times out of ten. And not even regular horny, alcohol took her sex drive and set it in turbo mode. It was 'climb the walls', 'fuck the last single guy in the bar' horny. She thought back to the last time she'd been drunk with Johnny, and the text messages he'd sent her when she got home. 

_Gat: I wish Costco sold Astroglide.  
_

_Gat: Thinking of you.  
_

Fuck. Okay, she wouldn't admit to having feelings for Johnny right now, but she could still text him, right? Shame the screen was so damn blurry. Fuck it. She decided to send him a text anyway, on the off chance he was still awake.

It took her a while to type out the message, but by the time she'd finished, she felt strangely proud of herself. _If I blackout and am found with butterfly hair clips on nipples and hand down pants pls tell mom I am srry._

Very carefully, she selected the 'send' button, and then promptly passed the fuck out.

***

She woke up to her phone ringing, and the sound made her head hurt even more than she would have thought possible. Her stomach lurched as she sat up in bed, but she managed to hold its contents down as she reached for the handset. She picked up and held it to her ear without saying a word.

“Gat with you?” Julius asked.

“No, he went home last night. What's up?”

“Fuck.” Julius swore. “Listen carefully, Playa. Benjamin King just called. It seems like one of his boys got a big head and tried to take him out. He's pinned down in the park right now and needs some help. Now, what happens to King may not mean shit to you, but him and me, we got history. I owe King from way back in the day, and he ain't gonna eat it if I can help it. You're gonna go out there and save his ass, understand? I ain't fucking around, Playa. You bring King back here safe, you feel me?”

“Understood.” Eve confirmed.

She was dressed and out the door in record time. The only thing that hinted towards the fact she was hungover as hell was the sunglasses she shoved on, despite the fact it was pouring with rain outside. God knows, she probably wasn't legal to drive, but since when had the legality of something stopped her from doing it? 

She sped through the streets, almost hitting a few pedestrians as she drifted through the narrow streets. She made it to the museum in record time, finding King in the park by it, surrounded by Vice Kings. She supposed it was sort of ironic that a man who'd built this gang from the ground up, who'd built an empire spanning multiple industries, was being saved by the people who'd been making his life hell this past few months and played no small part in the events that brought him to this juncture.

King was every bit as imposing as she'd imagined, almost as broad across the shoulders as he was tall. His black suit was rumpled from fighting, and his yellow shirt carried more than one blood stain. “So you're the kid Julius sent, huh?” he asked, his voice deep and rumbling.

She just nodded, settling in beside him swapping her shotgun out for a SMG. Killing off the last of the VKs that were on foot was easy. It was when they were running towards King's car, a bright yellow Mag, that she noticed there were more of the fuckers in vehicles heading straight for them. Eve was panicking as she frantically searched her pockets for more ammo. She was almost out and there was no way in hell she'd be able to get them out of this alive with what she had. 

“We're fucked.” Eve muttered, dropping her head against the driver's side door. The impact hurt like hell and made her headache even worse. “This is how I go out, hungover and trying to save Ben King's ass.”

King chuckled, reaching into the back seat. “Don't count yourself out yet, kid. Here, I've got something you might like.”

Eve looked up to see King dragging a rocket launcher out of a bag in the back seat.

“Oh, daddy.” she whispered almost reverently, as he handed it to her.

She made quick work of blowing the remaining VKs to hell. Once she'd finished off the last of them, King spoke up.

“Warren's gotta be around here somewhere,” he said. “Let's go find him.”

They drove around the neighbourhood for a while, searching for Williams. Eventually, King spotted his car coming towards them.

“There!” King said, pointing out the yellow sports car with the black stripes. 

Eve spotted it, too. “Brace yourself.” she said, putting her foot down and pointing the Mag in the direction of the other car. The Mag wasn't quite as fast as the car Williams drove, but Williams also didn't have the time or space to make the most of his speed advantage. Eve ran the other car off the road with surprising ease and wrapped it right around a lamp post. The engine caught fire, and all Eve could think to do was get away before it exploded and took their vehicle with them.

King seemed pretty certain that Williams was dead, or unconscious and would be shortly, so she turned the car around and headed back to the church.


	12. Ready Or Not

She led King into the building, through to the area where Julius usually held his more formal meetings. Johnny and Julius were already waiting, so she gestured for King to sit, and took the remaining seat next to him.

“Looking good, Ben.” said Julius. His tone was informal, thoroughly at odds with the table the four of them sat around. 

“Been a long time, Jules.” replied King.

“Sorry about Anthony.” Julius apologised.

“That was business. Let it go.”

“So what's the plan?” Johnny asked.

“We kill Tanya, and I get back to business.” King stated.

“I don't think so, Benjamin.” 

“What?”

“I said no.” Julius' tone was firm. “You alive? We're straight. But the Vice Kings, they're through.”

“Then kill me and stop wasting my goddamn time.”

“You've got a choice. You can keep your pride and die right now, or you can be a man and walk away.”

King chuckled. “When did you get the balls, Jules?”

“What's it gonna be?”

“I ain't walking away.”

“Fair enough.” Julius said regretfully. “Johnny?”

Johnny stood up and pulled out his pistol.

King held up one hand. “I ain't walking away until I deal with Tanya.”

Julius smiled and extended a hand towards King. “My nigga.”

Johnny was still standing, his weapon pointed at King, when Julius turned to him.

“Johnny, put the damn gun down.” Julius said with an exasperated sigh.

Johnny holstered his weapon without saying a word and sat back in his seat.

“Now you understand this ain't just about Tanya, right?” Julius asked. “We finishing the whole crew.”

“Yeah, I know.” King replied.

“So let's get to it. Plan?”

“I know where all those fools hang.”

“Alright, Playa. You gonna be Mr. King's wheel-woman.” Julius said to Eve.

“You ready for this, kid?” asked King.

Eve nodded her assent, and the table went their separate ways.

***

“I've been chatting with King,” Johnny said. “and it looks like Tanya's takeover didn't sit well with everybody. The Vice Kings are fighting amongst themselves. Now's the time to take 'em out for good.”

Eve nodded as she reloaded her pistol and packed spare ammo.

“King said he was gonna come along.” Johnny continued. “I hope he hasn't gone soft.”

“Oh don't you ever worry 'bout me, baby boy, 'cause I'm gonna handle mine.” King said from just behind Eve, and made her jump damn near out of her skin.

“Look, all I'm saying is since you got here, you've been nothin' but talk.” Johnny replied.

“I've smoked dozens of fools before. I ain't adding to the count unless I have to.” 

“Oh that's just fuckin' great.” Johnny said, sarcasm evident in his voice.

“I said don't worry about it.”

“I don't want you bitching out when you see your crew.”

“Ain't my crew, son, that's why I'm here, remember? So how come you put your dick away, pick up your gun, and try to keep your knee away from the bullets.” King said, stalking off outside.

“Well, shit.” said Eve, once King had left. “He's got almost as much of a mouth on him as you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Johnny said dismissively, but she could see the beginnings of respect for King start to form in Johnny's head. “Well, you heard the cocky sonofabitch. Let's roll.”

***

Eve drove to King's penthouse with King in the passenger seat and Johnny in the back. As she pulled up outside, King spoke. “Okay, there it is.” he said, nodding towards the building. “The first thing we've gotta do is clear a path to the elevator.”

“What then?” Johnny asked.

“Then we kill Tanya.”

“My kinda plan.”

Eve shut off the vehicle and double-checked all of her weapons before heading for the front doors, Johnny and King in tow. The lobby was full of Tanya's VKs, but with the three of them, it didn't take long to clear them out. They kept screaming shit about warning Tanya about the intruders, but honestly it didn't really matter if one of them got to her before them or not. She'd have heard the gunfire.

They stepped inside the elevator, and Johnny was pumped for the fight. King looked tired, though, his shoulders sagging slightly. You only had to look at the man to tell he was thoroughly done with this shit and ready for that skank Tanya to be dead.

“Where now?” Johnny asked.

“The penthouse.” said King.

Johnny was just itching to say something, she could tell. “What?” Eve asked.

“I'm gonna skullfuck that bitch.” he said.

Eve rolled her eyes. “Hope you don't mind hepatitis.”

The elevator dinged open before Johnny had time to reply.

Tanya was waiting as they burst through the doors, her too-high heels perched on the edge of the desk as she leaned back in her chair.

“Some guys just never get enough of me.” she said smugly.

“I've had more than my fill, bitch.” Johnny said, approaching the desk.

“It's over, girl.” said King, as he advanced. “You're not gonna be able to fuck your way outta this one.”

“That's cute, sweetie.” Tanya smirked as she stood and pulled out an assault rifle from behind the desk. “That's just precious.”

She didn't have time to fire it, not even to aim, as both Eve, Johnny and King opened fire on her first. She flew backwards with the force of the impact, and fell out of the window behind her.

They heard the thud of her landing half a second later, then a car alarm. The three made their way over to the window and looked out, only to see Tanya had landed on top of King's Mag.

Johnny let out a dry laugh and patted King on the shoulder. “That sucks for your car. We better get outta here. The cops will be here soon.” He made his way back to the elevator. “You coming, King?” 

King nodded. “Alright. Let's go.”

When they got to the front doors, Johnny turned to King. “I know what you told Julius and all, but why don't you stick around and roll with us? I'm sure he wouldn't mind having you around.”

A wry sort of smile flashed across King's features. “Oh, I wouldn't bet on that.” he said.

Johnny nodded, before wandering off ahead.

King turned to Eve, then. “You did good in there, kid. Here,” he said, tossing her the keys for the penthouse. “I don't think I'll be needing these any more.”


	13. Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning - this chapter includes Lin's death.

Eve was sitting in the church talking to Julius when Lin called.

“Hey, the rollers are getting into something big. Meet me at the pool hall.” she'd said, then hung up abruptly.

“Something doesn't feel right about this,” Eve said to Julius. “Lin's usually pretty blunt, but that wasn't like her.”

Julius shrugged. “Lin's never been that chatty type with me. Maybe she's just busy. Anyway, I suggest you get moving. You know the lady doesn't like to be kept waiting.”

Eve nodded, but she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her gut. She jogged out to her car and climbed in. She had the hood up for a change, and sat inside with her jacket pulled tight for a while as the car heated up. It was December 23nd, two days before Christmas, and dear god did it feel it. She was surprised there was no snow. It _was_ well below freezing, after all. When the car was warm enough, Eve pulled off her gloves and reversed out of the driveway. The drive to the pool hall was pretty uneventful, with the roads being mostly empty because of the time of night.

She pulled up outside and made her way to the door. She rapped on the door a couple of times, but received no answer. She tried the handle quickly, but it was locked. Eve wondered what to do… Should she call Johnny? Back-up might be a good idea, here. She sent him a quick text to update him on the situation.

_Gone to meet Lin @ Pool Hall. Weird vibes. Will check in 1 hr.  
_

With that out of the way, she took a step back and kicked at the door, planting her boot close enough to the lock to exert enough pressure to break it. The first time didn't work. The door shook, but the lock remained sturdy. The second time, she kicked harder, and it flew open so fast that she almost lost her balance.  
She stepped inside, pistol raised, and as she rounded the corner into the main room, discovered that she had walked right into an ambush. Eve carved a path through the venue, shooting down every fucker in blue that came towards her. “Lin! Can you hear me?” she called out.

No response came, so Eve climbed the stairs. More Rollerz darted out of a side room and fired at her. She crouched down to make the most of what little cover she could, then made short work of them before continuing her search.

Lin was tied to a chair in the side room those Rollerz she'd just killed had popped out of. She appeared to be unconscious as Eve approached. “Lin? You okay there?” Eve asked.

No reply, so Lin was definitely unconscious.

Eve bent down behind the chair to undo Lin's restraints. She was working on the knot when she felt a blow to the back of her head that sent her crashing to the floor and left her senses in disarray. Blinding pain shot through her skull as her vision swam. She tried to turn around to get a look at her attacker. It was that Sharp bastard, the fucker who was heading up the Rollerz, and one of his minions, a white guy so bland and unremarkable he would have made store-brand mayonnaise look interesting.

Eve heard sirens in the distance, and the first thought in her head was of Johnny. She didn't think he'd call the cops, but who knew? With the cops out of the VK's pockets, that made them a little more impartial in matters of gang warfare. And they sure as hell had more pigs than the Saints had bangers.

“Sounds like the cops are comin', Mr. Sharp.” said Mayo.

“Let's take our guest for a ride, shall we?” Sharp replied, smug satisfaction lacing his tone.

Eve wanted to beat that superior attitude right out of him. Sadly, she didn't have a chance, as Mayo brought the baseball bat in his hand down on her head again, and everything went black.

***

Eve came back to consciousness to the sound of Lin's voice.

“Hey, I think we stopped moving.” Lin said, nudging her with a foot. “You listening? You even alive? Say something!”

Eve groaned in response, not yet able to formulate words into coherent sentences. They were trapped inside the trunk of a car, she could tell.

“I'll take that as a yes… Now, where the fuck's my lighter?”

Eve could hear muffled voices from outside the vehicle. One that sounded like Sharp. And the other… Donnie?

“Stay calm,” Lin whispered. “We're gonna get out of this.”

Sharp popped open the trunk. Eve blinked against the light and stared up at the faces looking down at her. Yep, definitely Donnie.

“Lin?” He asked, incredulously.

“Donnie, listen to me, I swear -”

Lin's words were cut off by Sharp putting a bullet in her chest. Eve barely had time to think _fuck_ , before Sharp shot at her, too. Luckily for her, he missed by a fraction, hitting her in the shoulder but not causing any real damage. That sure as hell wasn't going to stop her from playing dead right now, though. A second shot, and she wouldn't be so lucky.

“Lin!” Donnie cried out, leaning over her.

Sharp held him back with one hand. “Take a deep breath and count to ten.” The fucker sounded so calm, and it made Eve's blood boil.

“Count to ten? You just shot my girl!” Donnie screeched. That was endearing, if nothing else.

“Yes, it's tragic.” Sharp replied, words dripping with sarcasm, before slamming the trunk shut.

More muffled voices from outside, then the truck Eve assumed belonged to Donnie sped off.

Then they were moving again. _Oh fuck, no,_ she thought, as she felt the car tip. He was going to push them into the river. _Shit._

Lin, calm as ever, tried to reassure them both. “Hey, stay – stay calm. We're gonna get out of this.”

Eve had no fucking idea how, but she was grateful for the attempt at comfort.

“Hey, I think I found my lighter. Did you hear that asshole Donnie?” Lin choked out something that was half laugh, half sob. She managed to get her lighter to spark before the water breached the trunk, and used it to melt the cable ties that kept Eve's wrists together. “He said I was his girl.”

Barely a second after she got the words out, water began to leak in. The lighter got wet and wouldn't spark any more. Eve managed to get herself out of the trunk and into the back seat, but she couldn't get Lin out while she was tied up.

“Leave me.” Lin said. “You have to make it back to the Saints. Get that fucking asshole Sharp for this.”

Eve nodded. Very quickly, water flooded the vehicle. Running out of air was a certainty, and breaking one of the windows was her only chance to get to the surface. Whatever she did, it would mean leaving Lin behind. _Fuck._ She started kicking frantically against the glass. Finally it broke, and she managed to get free of the car. 

Her head breached the water's surface a few moments later. Eve swam to shore and hot-wired a Bootlegger that was sitting in a parking lot. She searched the glove compartment on the off chance there might be a weapon she could use, and praise whatever deities were looking down on her, she found a pistol with a fully loaded magazine. She was going to kill that fucker.


	14. It's Going Down

Eve was sitting on the steps outside the church when Julius walked in the next morning. She hadn't slept a wink, just popped home, showered and changed her clothes, then come back to the church. She'd not dared let herself cry yet, knowing that if she did, there's a chance she would never stop. Julius sat on the steps next to her, almost close enough that she could smell his cologne, and he didn't exactly douse himself in the stuff.

“You seen the news?” he asked.

Eve shook her head. She hadn't done much of anything but stare into space since she made it out of the lake last night. She'd run Sharp off the road, emptied a clip into his skull, then called Johnny. She'd told him the news first, but she'd refused to say anything more than that she was alive, that Sharp had killed Lin, and that she'd killed Sharp in retaliation. 

“Looks like they pulled Lin's body out of the river this morning. Sorry about that, I know you did everything you could. Johnny's taking this pretty hard. And you can bet your ass he's going to be calling for blood by the time it properly sinks in.”

Eve nodded. She didn't really have anything to say. She knew she'd done everything she could, hell, she was only alive because Lin had saved her worthless ass first. She just felt like there was something more, something she must have missed at the time, some way she was at fault that she could blame herself for. If she could blame herself then it might get rid of this empty, hollow feeling in her chest.

“We're not gonna wait for them hit us again. This time, we're taking the fight to the Rollerz.” Julius said.

Now that, she could muster some motivation for. Killing every last one of those bastards in blue sounded like a mighty fucking fine idea around now. She didn't get much further into her internal monologue, because Troy wandered over. 

“We might have to rethink that plan.” he said.

“What's goin' on?” asked Julius.

“Word is, every Roller that Price could find is headed this way.”

“How much time we got?”

“Shit, man, I don't know. My man says they're movin' pretty fast.”

“Alright,” said Julius. He tapped Eve on the shoulder as he stood up. “You're coming with me. We've got some Rollerz to fuck up.”

They walked down the steps together, and Eve climbed into the passenger seat of Julius' purple Zenith as he hopped into the driver's seat. He ran her through the plan as he drove. “Let's intercept the Rollerz on the highway,” he said, steering the car neatly through the narrow side-streets. “If we can stop them from even making it to the Row, that'll make life easier on our boys back here. It'd be crazy to hit that convoy head on, so, we slip up behind them and pick them off one at a time.”

“Sounds good.” Eve replied.

Shooting the assholes driving the cars while hanging out of the side of a convertible traveling at high speeds wasn't exactly the easiest thing, but she managed well enough. One at a time, she took out all eleven cars, until there was only one left. Price. 

As Julius pulled up behind Price, Eve took aim and tried to shoot his back tyres, but to no avail. What neither of them were expecting, however, was for Price to slam on his brakes. Julius' car slammed into the back of Price's, and Eve went flying over the windshield, out into the street. Price put his foot down again and sped off, leaving her lying in the middle of the highway.

 _God, that hurt,_ she thought as she lay on the ground. She didn't think she'd broken anything, but she was damn well going to have a nasty case of road rash. Still, she was lucky to be alive, for the second time in the last twenty-four hours, so she supposed she didn't have a lot of cause to complain.

She was going to get that fucker, though, if it was the last thing she did. Hopefully it wouldn't actually be the last.

Julius got out of the car and wandered over to her as she stood up. He helped steady her as she found her feet again. “Bitch, you really better learn to buckle your seat belt.” he said. “Just the same, one getting away ain't bad. Let's get outta here, Playa. We'll deal with Price once you get patched up.”

***

She was barely done cleaning and dressing her grazes by the time her phone rang. 

“Meet me at the car dealership if you think you've got the balls. We're ending this tonight.” Price said, before hanging up. Polite as always.

Everything ached like hell, but she finished putting clean clothes on and made her way to her Venom Classic. She'd done more work on it in recent weeks, the car now barely recognisable from the rust-bucket she'd taken into Rim Jobs with Lin that night. Eve pulled up outside the Foreign Power and shut off her car's engine.

She took a few deep breaths to steady herself, then decided to wait for Price out in the open. If she stood right under the illuminated area in front of the store, she'd definitely be caught on the CCTV. Hopefully that would give her an advantage against a dumb fuck like Price.

She'd been waiting maybe 15 minutes when she heard a rumble in the distance. She turned around to see where the noise was coming from, and spotted its source. A big fucking truck carrying multiple cars on its bed was headed directly for her, and at speed. Given the particular shade of blue the vehicle was painted, she guessed that had to be Price. She jumped out of the way of the vehicle, narrowly escaping it but landing across the side of her body that was grazed and beginning to bruise already.

Eve groaned as she picked herself up off the ground. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, but adrenaline was surging, and she had to keep going. She jogged back to her car and climbed inside. She was going to chase that fucker Price down. 

She tracked him to the highway. On the long expanse of road, losing her would be hard. Driving at high speeds while firing a submachine gun wasn't the safest or cleverest idea she'd ever had, but it seemed like the only fucking option right now. One by one, she riddled each car on the bed full of enough holes to make the engine explode. The final one set off the truck's cab as well.

Eve pulled over her car and approached the wreckage. She didn't think it was highly likely that Price would have survived the explosion, but she didn't exactly feel like risking letting the bastard get away, either. She spotted his body from a few meters away, pulled out her pistol, and shot him twice in the head. Better safe than sorry, right? Her cellphone rang, so she answered. 

“That was a hell of an explosion.” said Julius. “You okay, Playa?

Eve let out a dry laugh. “I got run over by a motherfucking truck, what do you think?”

“Oh quit being a bitch.” Julius admonished. “We done and fucked the Rollerz hard. They ain't got nothin' left. There are a few loose ends though, like who the fuck those buyers are Sharp was talkin' about. I got a feeling some shit's going on we don't know about. I'll let you know when I find out more.” he said, then hung up.


	15. 3005

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one with the smut!

Lin's funeral was the day after Christmas. Yesterday hadn't felt like Christmas at all, between the grief that was so fresh in everyone's minds, and the stress of the upheaval going on in Stilwater generally. Lin's parents had passed a few years back, and she didn't have any siblings, so it was up to the Saints to cover her funeral costs. It was just as well, Eve didn't think she'd have been able to face any of Lin's blood relatives today. It was hard enough looking Johnny in the eye. 

That morning, Eve had dressed alone at her place, picking out a black pantsuit with a dark purple silk shirt and simple black heels. She chose to forgo makeup to signify the mourning period all of the Saints were surely in. She'd tried to have the radio on in the background, but when it began to play The Pogues and Kirsty Maccoll's “Fairytale of New York”, she'd shut it off abruptly. She finished getting ready in silence, then made her way over to the church.

The service was nice, though. Someone had cleaned up the inside of the church so they could use the space. Eve didn't know how, but someone, somehow, had managed to get permission for Lin to be buried in a plot outside the church, and Julius, Johnny and a couple of the other members of the Saints read eulogies. Eve thought she would have liked that. She'd dedicated so much of herself to the Saints, given so much for them. This felt like a fitting tribute to her.

Eve stood alone, not really listening to any of the words the minister spoke as they committed Lin's body to the ground. Instead she just took in the cadence of the man's voice and tried to remain stoic. She didn't have any right to grieve like the rest of them. She hadn't known Lin long enough, and she'd played a part, however small, in her death.

Eve barely recognised Johnny, dressed in a smart pin-striped suit that showed off his broad shoulders. He was crying. Eve didn't think Johnny was capable of tears, he just always seemed blow up in anger instead. This was unnerving. He looked crushed, and it was all she could do not to go over to him and offer to do anything she could to stop him hurting. Less surprisingly, Aisha was there at his side, holding his hand. At least maybe one good thing could come out of this mess. She'd not spoken to either of them in days, it was good that they had each other for comfort. God knows, they all needed it right now. 

The wake was as sombre as the funeral itself, with most of the Saints drowning their sorrows. Someone had laid out food in the space that Julius usually used for meetings, so a couple of people nibbled at food while they had murmured conversations in the various corners. Eve lurked at the edge of one of the pews, sipping at a tumbler of whiskey on the rocks as she watched the groups milling around the room. She was off in her own little world when she felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder. She turned her head to see who it was, and caught a flash of perfectly manicured fingernails. Her gaze followed the arm up to see Aisha's tentative smile. “It wasn't your fault, you know?”

Eve nodded. “I know.”

“Johnny doesn't blame you, either.”

Eve let out a dry laugh, as halfhearted and laced with sadness as she felt right then.

“He's worried about you.” Aisha tried to explain. “But he doesn't know how to be there for you, how you need him to be there.”

Eve tilted her head until it rested against Aisha's hand. “Thank you. You think I should go talk to him?”

Aisha shook her head. “No, he's off chatting with Dex and Julius right now. But I do think you should come home with us tonight.”

Eve let out another little laugh, though it was far more earnest this time. “If you wanted to get me into bed again, you didn't have to wait until I'd been drinking, you know?” she joked.

“You know that's not what this is about.” Aisha said, cuffing Eve lightly around the back of the head with one hand, then resting it back on Eve's shoulder. “Johnny needs you. _I_ need you.”

“I know,” Eve said, taking Aisha's hand. “I know.”

***

Aisha drove back to her apartment with Johnny in the passenger seat and Eve in the back. Neither Eve nor Johnny said much, or really reciprocated her attempts at conversation. Eve was clearly still nervous, and Johnny was pretty grief-stricken, so she turned the radio on.

Aisha parked her car in the lot around the back, and the three of them made their way up to her apartment together. None of them really said much, but when she turned around as they entered the lift, she notice Johnny reach over and slip his hand in Eve's. That alone was a relief. If he could reach out to her, maybe they'd be able to bridge the gap that was forming between them.  


They walked into the apartment and Aisha's first move was to start undressing, shedding clothes as she made her way to the bedroom. Johnny followed her lead, shucking his suit jacket and hanging it up carefully on the coat-rack before loosening his tie and removing his cuff-links. Eve removed her jacket at the same time, but followed Aisha through to the bedroom fully clothed.  


Johnny finished removing his cuff-links and set them down on the coffee table as he made his way through to Aisha's room. He found Aisha in her underwear, kissing Eve slowly and softly. Eve was still fully dressed, a matter that Aisha didn't seem to want to rush. Which was all well and good but he wanted to feel both of them, Eve especially, against him. He moved up behind Eve and began gently tugging her shirt out of her waistband as he kissed the back of her neck.  


She groaned at the feeling of Johnny's hands on her as she kissed Aisha.  _God, being sandwiched between the two of them felt so good,_ she thought. Her hands traced up and down Aisha's waist and hips as she savoured the feeling of being kissed and touched by them both.  


Aisha's hands moved up and began unbuttoning her shirt, eventually pushing it off her shoulders, then began working on Eve's belt, before unzipping her trousers and sliding them down her legs. Johnny seemed preoccupied with teasing Eve, kissing her neck and shoulders and running his fingers in delicate swirls over her stomach and breasts.  


Eve stepped out of the fabric pooled around her feet and turned to face Johnny. She kissed him, and for one brief moment there was nothing else in the world but the feeling of his body against hers, of her breasts crushed against his chest and their mouths against one another. Then Aisha started tracing her fingers up and down Eve's spine and it was the three of them again. The brief sojourn back to reality reminded Eve that both she and Aisha were semi-naked, and Johnny was still fully clothed. She set about fixing that particular problem by removing his tie, undoing the knot and discarding the scrap of fabric. She then unbuttoned his shirt, which he helped her remove. She pressed kisses against his skin from his jaw, down his chest and stomach, right to the waistband of his dress pants, falling to her knees as she went. She began to work on unbuckling his belt, and watched from her current position as Aisha kissed him thoroughly.  


When she got his belt undone and trousers unbuttoned, she pulled them down, revealing his arousal. She noted the slightly damp spot on his boxers and her desire flared even higher. Eve felt Aisha's hand slide into hair and grip gently, guiding her head to mouth Johnny through his underwear. Johnny gasped and thrust against her mouth.  
Aisha pulled Eve back after a minute or so, taking the opportunity to drop Johnny's underwear to his ankles before setting her back to work. She shimmied off to do god-knows-what while Eve was preoccupied. Johnny couldn't do much more than tremble and groan. Then Aisha returned, a bottle of lube in hand. She coated a finger in the slippery substance then slid it into his ass. Johnny groaned louder as Eve and Aisha found a rhythm between them, then he was shuddering, grasping the back of Eve's head as he came.  


Once he'd recovered from his climax, he scooped Eve up and threw her down on the bed. She bounced somewhat less than gracefully but any embarrassment she'd had was gone by the time he pulled her underwear down and buried his face between her thighs. Aisha kissed her mouth while Johnny kissed her cunt and if her mouth had been free, she'd have been pouring forth blasphemy and curse words. She couldn't think enough to form coherent words, she was just caught up in the feeling of Johnny's tongue tracing circles around her, his lips sucking at her clit and then his teeth scraping. When he slid two fingers into her, she moaned loud against Aisha's mouth.  


In a half-second of clarity, she realised that Aisha wasn't being pleasured, so she reached a hand down, brushing her knuckles against the juncture of Aisha's thighs. Aisha moaned as she ground against Eve's hand, and dear God, everything felt too much and not enough all at once.

Eve came screaming, and Aisha followed behind a half-second later.  


Johnny climbed up Eve's body and kissed her thoroughly. Eve could taste herself on him, and felt the embers of her arousal reignite. The three of them finished shedding whatever clothes and jewelry they hadn't managed to rid themselves of in the rush to be intimate, and curled up in bed together.

Eve was half asleep when she found herself kissing Johnny, then Aisha and whispering. “I love you. Both of you.”


	16. Never Be The Same Again

Eve woke up in a tangle on limbs, sandwiched firmly between Johnny and Aisha. She pressed her ass back against Johnny and heard him groan sleepily in response. He grabbed her by the hip and held her still, grinding against her. She gasped in response to the feeling of his fingers tracing a line along the inside of her hipbone, down the gentle curve of her belly, then lower. He dragged two fingers through her wetness, dipping slowly into her, then circling her clit, alternating barely-there touches with firm strokes as he coaxed her towards a climax.  _God, that felt good._ She wanted to cry out with the pleasure of it, but Aisha was still asleep.

Johnny seemed to have the same thought as he brought his free hand around under her and covered her mouth. “Shhh.” He whispered, a gentle warning in his voice before he began to suck and nibble at her earlobe, then the skin at the side of her neck. She bit gently at his fingers as he pushed her closer and closer to her orgasm, until it was hard to hold in all the noises she wanted to make, until she was shaking with the force of the pressure that built. He changed pace suddenly and then the tension broke within her, like a snapped guitar string. She came, thrusting and shuddering against his hand.

As she came down from her high, it was to the realisation that Aisha was watching them both, lust evident in the depths of her eyes. Eve reached out a hand to tangle in Aisha's hair and pulled the other woman closer. Johnny had sated the desire she'd felt earlier, but when she pressed her lips agains Aisha's, the embers of her arousal began to reignite, the flames of passion licking at her every nerve ending until she felt too sensitive and not enough all at once.   
Of course, fate decided that was the perfect time for her cellphone to ring.  


Eve swore loudly.

“Leave it.” Aisha muttered against her open mouth.  


“Can't.” she whispered back in between frantic kisses, attempting to break away but not really wanting to. “Expecting a call from Julius.”  


Aisha sighed in exasperation as Eve extracted herself from the bed.  


Thankfully, Johnny filled the space she vacated as she picked up the phone and wandered into the kitchen.

“This is Chief Monroe. If you want Julius back, you'll listen to what I've got to say.” Eve's stomach dropped. If there was one thing she hated more than cops, it was crooked cops, and this kind of phone call never ended with instructions on how to post bail. “That stunt you pulled downtown lost my associates and I quite a bit of money. Now, I might not be an honest man, but I am a fair one. So rather than turn Saints Row into a parking lot, I'm gonna let you work off what you owe me. There's a mayoral campaign going on, and I want one of the candidates taken off the ballot. Marshall Winslow is in his campaign bus right now, and he has an appointment with the northbound. Park that bus on the train tracks tonight, or you'll find Julius' body floating in the river tomorrow. Don't dissapoint me. Julius is counting on you.”

The line went dead. Eve's heart was pounding hard, her hands shaking. Not Julius. She couldn't lose anyone else to this bullshit. Without so much as a goodbye to Johnny and Aisha, she threw on her clothes and stormed out of Aisha's apartment.

***

She caught up with Winslow's campaign bus in Chinatown, surrounded by a police escort. It took a damn long time, but she managed to distract the driver enough that he crashed the bus into a support beam for the overhead railway line. After the bus had stopped, it was simple enough hijack. Then, she drove it to the railway crossing as Monroe had instructed, just as the train was due to pass through this part of the track. She got out as quickly as possible, darting for safety away from the inevitable explosion.

Eve made her way back to the church, where she found Johnny, Dex and Troy sitting around the table. “What the fuck happened?” Johnny asked. “You just ran out on us. What was that phone call about?”

She held up a hand to silence him. “Chief Monroe has Julius.” she said.

The sharp intake of breath from each of the men said everything.

“I figured with him being in King's pocket for so long that he was a crooked fuck, but he's on a whole other level now.” Eve explained. “He wanted me to assassinate Marshall Winslow, or he was gonna kill Julius.”

“What did you do?” asked Troy.  


“What the fuck do you think I did? I fucking killed the fucking fucker!”  


“You assassinated a mayoral candidate?  


“Well what the fuck else could I do, Troy? Julius is one of ours. I didn't have a lot of choice.”  


Troy nodded at that. He didn't seem to have much else to say, either.  


W _ell thank heavens for small mercies, huh?_ Eve thought.  


“You heard back from Monroe?” asked Dex.  


Eve's cellphone rang. She answered.  


“Nice work.” said Monroe. “But I don't think I can let Julius go until you do a little more Community Service. We'll be in touch.”  


Dex sighed. “Looks like we wait.”  


“Why? So we can let this jackoff jerk us around? Fuck that!” Johnny shouted.  


“And what would you rather do?”  


“You know exactly what I'd like to do.”  


“Johnny, we're not blowing up City Hall!”  


“Hey, I'm just sayin'… It would solve a lot of problems.”  


“What if they're keepin' Julius there?”  


“A'ight. But there's gotta be a better plan than 'Let's be Monroe's Bitches'.”  


Eve could almost see the penny drop in Dex's head.  


“You're right.” he said. “There is. Marshall Winslow was a major public figure, and you can bet your ass people would ask questions if the Chief of Police wasn't at his funeral. I say we hit Monroe during the funeral procession. That should show whoever he's workin' with that we're not fuckin' around.”  


Johnny looked like a kid on fucking Christmas morning. “You're saying we should assassinate the Chief of Police, while he's at the funeral of the guy we just smashed?”  


“Yeah.”  


“Don't tease me, Dex.”  


“Let's fuckin' do it.”


	17. New York

Troy pulled Eve to one side once Dex and Johnny went through to the office to make plans. She followed him outside, where he pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offering one to her before taking his own and lighting it.  


“I can't let you asssassinate Monroe.” he said.  


Eve was taken aback. “I don't see how you can stop me.”  


“I'm not fuckin' around here, E. This shit is serious. You need to drop your flags and get the fuck out of Stillwater. Take Johnny and Aisha with you.”  


“And why the fuck should I listen? He's a corrupt motherfucker, and he needs to fuckin' go.”  


He took a drag on his cigarette and seemed to think for a moment before he responded. “I can't tell you, but I really don't think killing him is gonna help.”  


“You're gonna need to fuckin' tell me, Troy, because I can't imagine whatever reason you could possibly have in mind that would stop me from putting that fuck down.”  


He ran his free hand through his hair and let out a weary sort of sigh. “You know how Dex told me to stop asking so many questions because it makes me sound like a cop? Well...” He trailed off.  


Eve caught his meaning. “No. You're fucking with me. I'm gonna leave now and Johnny and Dex are gonna come up with a plan to assassinate Monroe and you're gonna tell me this was a really badly timed joke, a'ight?” She moved to walk away, but Troy grabbed her arm to stop her. “ Eve, please. Listen to me.”

“Get your fucking hand off me.” she replied, her voice even and at odds with the emotions that warred inside her.  


Troy dropped his hand instantly. “You can't tell Johnny about me. You know he'll kill me.”  


“You've been with this crew how long?” Eve asked. “You've partied with us, you've mourned Lin with us, and you're fucking telling me that was a lie? You were just pretending to be one of us because you were an undercover fucking cop? I told you I was falling in love with Johnny before I told anyone else, for god's sake. He  _should_ fucking kill you. Shit, I should do it.”  


“It wasn't all a lie, okay? I care about the Saints. That's why I'm warning you.”  


“And why the fuck should I believe you now? Fuck you, Troy.” she said, shaking her head. “I won't tell Johnny but, just fucking go. You're not a Saint any more. Consider yourself exco-fucking-mmunicated. And if you tell anyone about our plans for Monroe? You won't have to worry about Johnny catching up with you. I will kill you myself.”  


Troy nodded, a sad sort of smile gracing his features. “Be careful.” he said, before walking to his car.

***

Eve sat down, her back against the cold stone wall of the church, and watched as Troy drove away. As she finished her smoke, she wondered how many more friends she'd lose before this bullshit was over. She hoped Johnny wouldn't be one of them.

When she was done, she picked herself up and headed back inside. Dex and Johnny were engrossed in planning sniping points, but not enough that they didn't notice Troy's absence when she walked in without him.  


“Hey, where's Troy?” Johnny asked.  


Eve wasn't sure exactly what to say. “He said he had something to take care of.” she lied.  


She felt bad, but Johnny seemed to buy it readily enough. “A'ight.” he shrugged.  


“We got a plan yet?” she asked.  


“Dex thinks it'd be easiest to hit them in the retail district. Here,” Johnny pointed to a spot on the map, by the mall. “And here, would be ideal sniping points.”  


Eve nodded. “How long have we got?”  


“Maybe a couple of hours,” said Dex. “But we should get there early.”  


“Alright. I'm gonna swing by Friendly Fire.” Johnny said. “I'll meet you there.”  


***

While Dex drove to the shopping centre, Eve stared out of the passenger seat window, uncharacteristically silent, not even singing along to the radio. They were crossing the bridge out of Saints Row by the time Dex called her out on it.  


“You're quiet. What's on your mind?” he asked.  


Eve let out a sigh. “I dunno… Feels like…” she couldn't quite articulate what she was feeling without saying the words  _'Troy's a cop, damnit, and I threatened to kill him if he told anyone about our plan to assassinate his goddamn boss'_ so she gave up. “Never mind.”  


“You're worried about assassinating the Chief of Police? I get it, that's a big step, even for us.” Dex ventured.  


“It's not that. I can't even explain it. I'm just really sick of losing friends. I don't want to lose any more...”  


“Now that I can understand. Gang bangers don't exactly have a long life expectancy, and I'd like to make it to the big 4-0, you feel me?”

Eve laughed. “Oh, I feel you.”  


“Glad I'm not alone on that one. Hell, Johnny runs around like he's got a damn death wish half the time.”  


“Yeah, it can be a bit much sometimes. He thrives off it, but it worries the hell out of the people who care about him.” she replied.  


“Speaking of, I'm glad you, him and Aisha sorted things out. I know Troy doesn't exactly approve, but you three work well together, so fuck him.”  


“Thanks, Dex. I appreciate it.”  


They pulled up next to the shopping center and Dex shut off the car.  


“A'ight.” he said. “We only get one chance at this, so we better not fuck it up. Once we hit Monroe, we better get outta there quick. Last thing we want is to make a big scene. Now let's get to the roof before the mourners arrive.”  


As they ascended the stairs, Dex checked his cell quickly. “Johnny's set up across the street.” he confirmed.  


“Good.” Eve said, unpacking the rifle she'd brought with her and loading it.  


“When the procession comes by, you take out Monroe. He'll be the one in the cop car.”  


She set herself up against the ledge and peered down the scope. After a short wait, a cop car came into view. Then another. Then another.  


“Uhhh. Dex?”  


“Ah, shit. There's more than one cop car. Alright, this ain't a problem. It'll just take a little more work to figure out what car he's in.” Dex replied.  


The first cop car spotted her, then flicked on its sirens and pulled over. The other cars followed suit, and the cops all got out of their vehicles.  


“Ah fuck it, just take out all of those cop cars! Monroe's gotta be in one of them.” said Dex.  


Johnny clearly had the same thought because one of the cars was hit by a rocket and promptly exploded. They worked in unison, Eve timing her shots to take out the cops that were visible on foot while Johnny blew up the cars.  


Once they'd destroyed the last of the vehicles, Dex and Eve ran for their car. Dex sped through the streets, drifting through corners and trying desperately to lose any tail they might have picked up. They took a detour via Forgive and Forget, and hid out there for a while before heading back to the church.

***

She was hanging around outside, smoking a cigarette when her cell rang. She didn't recognise the number. Great, another mysterious phone call. From some asshole that wanted her dead, most likely.

“Yo.” she said.

“Hello there, young lady. This is Alderman Hughes. That was quite a message you sent at Winslow's funeral. And trust me, I've heard it loud and clear.”

“What do you want?” she asked, cutting to the point.

“I'd like to set one thing straight. It was Monroe's idea to try and strongarm the Saints. Personally, I always thought you and I could have had a much healthier relationship. Now, we've had a rocky start, yes, but why don't we fix that? Why don't you come to my fundraiser tonight? Julius will be there, and I'm sure between the three of us we can figure something out.”


	18. RIP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Big-a-bad-a-boom.

The first call she made after getting off the phone with Hughes was to Johnny. 

“Alderman Hughes just called me. He's the one Monroe was working with.”

“Okay… Explains why Monroe wanted Winslow dead, Hughes is running against him, right? So, what did he want?” Johnny asked.

“He wants me to meet him on his boat tonight to talk about some sort of arrangement.”

“Alright, what time?”

“I'm going on my own, Johnny.”

“You know that's a bad idea.”

“Yeah, I don't trust this bastard politician either, but I'm not risking you as well.”

“There's a better chance we'll both make it out if it is a trap if -” Johnny started, but Eve cut him off before he could finish. 

“I said no, Johnny. I don't know what he has planned but it's gotta be something. He's not gonna leave us alone until he gets what he wants from us. I'm going alone. I love you, and Aisha. If I don't make it back, tell her that.” And with that, she hung up.

 ***

Eve got out of her car after she'd parked it as near to Hughes' boat as she could. The thing was dead silent.  _Fundraiser, my ass,_ she thought. She'd been right to insist she come here alone, because it was definitely a trap.  


She stepped onto the boat and was greeted by a white guy in a grey suit. He didn't give her his name. The moonlight glinted silver off his bald head, and she held in a laugh.  _Chrome dome._ He led her into a seating area while another guy cast the boat off from the dock. She took a seat and waited for Hughes, while Chrome Dome left her waiting.  


It was probably around 5 minutes before Hughes finally made his way up from below deck. He was a large man, his black suit well-tailored to his slightly paunchy frame. His grey hair was thinning, and combed over slightly across the bald patch on top of his head.  _Was there some sort of theme here? Did Hughes only employ men with less hair than him?_   


She stood as he walked towards her, and he held out a hand for her to shake. She ignored it, so he put the hand back by his side.  


“I'm Richard Hughes.” he said. “It is a pleasure to meet the woman who handed me the election.”  


Eve stayed silent.  


“No need to be modest, I'm serious. There's no way I could have beaten Marshall Winslow, God rest his soul, but you made the impossible happen. For that, I can't thank you enough.”  


Eve frowned, not knowing where this was going.  


“I mean had Winslow been the only one killed, attention would definitely have fallen to me, but after your little fireworks display at his funeral? It's been abundantly clear these horrible crimes were perpetrated by the Third Street Saints.”  


Aaaaand there it was. The trap. He was going to use them as his scapegoat. She should have fucking known it.  


“While before, people crticised my Saints Row Urban Renewal plan, it is now being lauded. See, until you came along, I was 'displacing poor people', now, I'm destroying a hotbed of gang activity. What can I say? The public is fickle. Champagne?” Hughes offered.  


Eve glared at him, hard, not opening her mouth.  


“Ah,” Hughes sighed. “As you get older, you quickly learn that there are only two types of people in this world. Race, money, gender, none of this matters. At the end of the day, you're either a winner, or a loser. Now, the sad truth about our situation, is that for me to be a winner, I have to level your neighbourhood, and salt the earth. Hold on for a moment.”  


Hughes called for his guard.  _Steven, that was the guard's name._ Eve thought Chrome Dome suited him better.  


“Now, where was I?” Hughes continued. “Oh yes, salting the earth. Now, I suppose I could try to pay you off, but really, what's the point? You'd just say no, or in your case, stand there looking petulant and we'd be right back to where we started. So, I figured I'd cut the middle-man and get right to the point.”  


“Could you speed this shit up? I want to go to Freckle Bitch's and they close at midnight.” Eve said drily.  


“You're going to die here, make no mistake about that. But if it makes it any easier on you, I'll be sure to thank you in my acceptance speech.” Hughes finished.  


She turned around to see Chrome Dome and another two of his bald buddies standing behind her with shotguns aimed right at her chest.  _Well, fuck._   


She was trying to come up with a plan to escape when she heard a beeping noise, kind of like the alarm for a digital clock. 

_Seems a little late for nap-time,_ was the last thought in her mind before the explosion knocked her unconscious.


End file.
